She's Growing It Out
by toothlesshasteeth
Summary: When the capitol's most-wanted criminal finds himself in a tower, he finds that a young girl by the name of Mikasa has lived there for ten years with no escape. With seventy feet of hair and a fiesty personality, Levi finds himself in too deep as they begin a whirlwind adventure. Rivamika. Tangled AU.
1. i: this isn't burger king, old man

**Disclaimer:**I do not own _Shingeki no Kyojin_ or _any_ of its characters.

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**Edit:** This chapter has been edited and if you've read it before 4/03, then I suggest re-reading it. If you're new, then I suggest you skip over this since it'll probably spoil the chapter. Lots of detail was added and the first draft was roughly 1,000 words while this version is roughly 6,000. If that doesn't convince you, then nothing else will. I took more time to add in the underground setting, which is where Levi lives at the beginning of this fanfiction. I actually went back and watched the first part of _A Choice with No Regrets_ again to get things down to the right detail. Also, I killed the entire military police squad in this version while they'd lived in the first draft. That's about it, though.

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**A/N:** My first attempt at writing fanfiction, so please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes, characters being OOC, and anything else that comes to mind. As the description stated, this is a Tangled AU. You'll notice that Levi plays Flynn Rider, but it's sort of like he simply assumed the role and threw the personality in the trash because Levi is _nothing_ like Flynn Rider – though, the hair might be similar. On the other hand, Mikasa plays Rapunzel and simply assumes the role as well because again, they are nothing alike. Mother Gothel will not make an appearance, but there will be a few antagonists. Also, Mikasa won't have healing, magical hair like Rapunzel does in the movie, but her hair will be _something_ and roughly around the same length. As you can tell already, things will be vastly different from the movie, but I'll still be incorporating some lines or scenes. I would say more but that would spoil several things I have planned.

This first chapter will be purely introductory. You know, setting the characters, introducing the plot, etc. It won't be very exciting, but things will pick up quickly! In relation to the length and how many chapters there will be, I haven't the slightest idea. I'm going back now and editing the first few chapters, but they still aren't as lengthy as other fanfictions. I'm thinking at _least_ more than ten chapters, but no more than thirty. We'll see how it goes. If you guys could just let me know in the reviews what you think, that would be really helpful. I love constructive criticism and so anything you have to say is fine by me. I want to improve as much as I can. Feel free to say whatever you want, even if it's just to let me know you're enjoying the story. It motivates me to keep writing, you know?

Anyway, if you're still reading this, thanks for not skimming over it. Not going to lie but I would've probably done that. Kudos to you.

This chapter was inspired by _Flynn Wanted_ from the **Tangled** soundtrack. I recommend listening to it as you read, but it's up to you.

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**i:** this isn't burger king, old man – you can't have it your way

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Levi was coming to the realization that hooking into a tree with his maneuver gear was _very_ different than hooking into one of the stone buildings from the Underground. With buildings, they were largely the same size and the same distance apart from each other. Trees, on the other hand, were unstable and varying in their distance. _It's going to take a while to get used to this_, he thought.

The blaring sun could also be a contestant in his failure – mostly because in the Underground, the sun didn't even exist – but he was struggling nonetheless. Not only that, but every time he'd shoot his hook into the next tree, it wouldn't be deep enough and he'd barely be able to catch himself as it loosened its hold. Surprise, surprise – the Underground population hadn't seen a tree either. It occurred to him in that moment that they probably should read a book sometime, but he also understood that the situation there was so bad that people just didn't give two shits about trees or the sun. Death was imminent to _anyone_, whether it be a newborn child or old man on his death bed.

As he hooked into the next tree, he swung with either grace or luck – he didn't know which it was –and briefly looked over his shoulder to see how far his pursuers were from capturing him.

"Tch," he muttered to himself at the realization that they were gaining on him.

His lidded eyes narrowed and he increased how much gas he was using considerably in an effort to get out of their range of sight. In doing so, he aimed higher and higher, his puffy sleeves and trousers slapping in the air like they were merely extensions of his arms and legs. If the straps for his maneuver gear weren't so tightly wound around his body, he was sure the speed would've blown them right off.

The Military Police were the least talented bunch of the branches of government and he'd be damned if he allowed them to catch him. He'd only stolen a set of maneuver gear, after all, yet they acted like he'd stolen some sort of royal artifact. They were stingy like that, he realized. He could only wonder what they would've done if he'd _actually_ stolen a royal artifact. Well, there was also the fact that he killed several of their men in his escape. He blamed living in the Underground for his trust issues.

Ricocheting off a nearby tree trunk with the heel of his boot, he took that moment to look behind him again and analyze their skills. He'd dealt with the Military Police before, but his feelings for them were anything but positive. In only a few seconds, he was able to determine that they were well-trained in their use of the maneuver gear, which was different in comparison to their brigade's reputation – lazy, self-centered, and no sense of duty. It was confusing to him that they'd chosen to send their seemingly best squad after a mere criminal. What did they hope to achieve?

He began to breathe heavily and took extra care to aim at the bark, knowing that his exhaustion could very easily lead to either his capture or death. How long had they been tailing him? Even if he'd taken advantage of all his stealth training from his uncle, the Military Police had been around every corner in Wall Maria. When they first identified him, they alternated between chasing after him on foot and on their maneuver gear. His intelligence and agility, however, was one of the reasons he continued to evade capture. And before he knew it, they were chasing him into titan territory.

For some reason, the gates had already been open. His plan had originally been to scale the wall and utilize his maneuver gear. _It was simply good luck_, he thought, _that a squad of Survey Corps soldiers were returning from their venture outside the walls right at that very moment_. In his haste to escape, he'd squeezed through the crowd of civilians and darted straight past the check-out point, not even thinking for a moment about where he was heading.

Maybe taking the maneuver gear was a risky move. In the Underground, he did own a set – own being a subjective term – but it was so old and rusty that it would've caused him more failures than success. Another risky move was assuming that the timid Military Police would simply stay behind and let him get away in appreciation for their lives. The Survey Corps was about the only branch that dealt with the titans, but it seemed that he'd miscalculated. Perhaps it was _because_ they'd never encountered a titan that they were still racing after him.

He remembered how his boots had begun to cover themselves in a deep coat of dirt and grime as he ran on the road leading away from the wall. The Military Police continued to shout from behind him to stop, but he ignored every word. A perfect opportunity came in the image of a huge forest coming into focus ahead of them and he'd felt nothing but relief. It was his first time seeing a tree in person and it was magnificent to look at, especially after the scenery beforehand was anything but impressive – nothing but dirt roads and deserted villages for miles. The forest was also the perfect environment for maneuver gear. However, that relief didn't last as he struggled to switch to his gear while staying ahead of his pursuers at the same time.

As the trees began to fade into blurred lines of green and brown, he used more and more of his gas. From behind him, he could hear the squad behind him doing the same. Originally, there'd been quite the distance between them, but now they were only a few trees behind. He could feel beads of sweat trail past his brow and his head began to pound as he desperately looked for something – anything – to distract them. Nothing spectacular, but just something that would cause them to turn around and haul ass – like a titan.

A_titan_, he realized.

Still, he hadn't seen _any_ of those things, even nearby the wall like there should be.

The trees continued to go in and out of his focus and he felt light-headed from exhaustion. He was so fucking sick of all the big ass _trees_ and the damned fucking _sun_ and the irritating _douchebags_ behind him. Finally, he observed that the trees were shrinking in size and the forest would be ending soon.

He continued to soar through the air as he grew closer to the last tree, then he'd be on foot again. Strangely enough, he saw a few titans around a tower, gathering like a flock of fucking chickens or something. He wasn't sure what they were doing – guarding it, perhaps – but he couldn't find it in him to give a shit _what_ they were doing, as they were his salvation.

Looking at the poor bastards behind him for the last time, he made the connection that their kids probably looked like titans. Their faces were ugly enough that their genes alone could make any child ugly, even if they were with a beautiful woman. He was doing them a big favor by ending their pathetic lives. It was their own damn fault for trailing him through titan territory in the first place. Were they stupid? They had to anticipate that they were going to run into titans sooner or later. With no training whatsoever, how could they have expected a positive outcome if they ran into them?

Titans were predictable, large but ranging in size. They only had one weak spot at the nape of their neck and the mere swat of their hand could pack a heavy blow, but humans were dangerous as well. Humans would lie, steal, and _murder_ for their own selfish gain. _Why do titans eat humans?_ That would probably have an easier answer than that of why humans kill other humans. Well, at least they weren't eating each other. Then again, there was probably some sick fuck out there doing just that.

Still, it wasn't like he had the proper training against the titans either, just the knowledge. But he had something they didn't – the desire to survive. If you could define surviving as living by the wills of others, then he guessed that was what they were doing. Surviving, though, to him was living by your own terms and doing things you don't always want to do in order to stay alive. And in his case, that was exactly what he was doing, throwing away the lives of pitiful soldiers in exchange for some future on the surface. He didn't even know if his future was worth it but it was either that or rot in a jail cell.

With his lidded eyes in focus, he released the levers on his maneuver gear that let out the gas and pulled to a complete stop, flipping onto a branch as his gas tank made a grinding noise at the sudden change of pace. He watched in amusement at his pursuers not anticipating this, continuing forward and stumbling like a bunch of idiots. They'd made the mistake of unhooking their gear from the trees and flew downward with incredible speed.

There was no happy ending for them, he realized. It was either the impact of the ground that would kill them or they'd be ripped apart by the titans. He didn't have much time to think about how they'd be eaten, though, because the titans had already raced towards them, swatting at them and stomping at them like they were bugs.

He leant against the tree's trunk with a thud and crossed his arms, watching as each titan had its own individual meal with the soldiers as the main course. Their limbs were of the past as they were ripped apart in terrifying ways. Still, Levi watched on with an unchanged expression. Their screams echoed around him and he knew they hadn't been trained fully to fend off titans. But he reminded himself that he didn't have a choice. _It was either them or me._ If he could kill humans without a single thought of regret, killing a titan would be a nice change. Just knowing that he was killing something that would only cause pain and destruction would bring him a sense of joy. But was he talking about humans or titans?

At that thought, the titans finished with the soldiers and walked back towards the tower, clawing at it and doing that weird growl thing that could make you piss yourself. What was their purpose? Their main objective? Was what they were doing surviving?

As he watched one titan specifically, he realized that that tower wasn't empty. There was a single window near the roof, which was curious on its own, and he thought he saw a figure inside. The fact also remained that they looked they were guarding it, or simply wanted whatever was inside. And that meant shelter, possibly food. He hadn't even gotten any leads on that _brat_ yet and he couldn't just sleep in a tree when there were so many titans nearby. If he could just slip through that window, he'd be able to be at ease for the first time in twenty-four hours.

It was a completely dumb idea, but he didn't have anything else to do. Go back to Wall Maria where an entire brigade of soldiers were waiting to arrest him? He was sure they'd spread the word about him and planted his face over wanted posters all over the cities. The gate being open was an ounce of luck and he seriously doubted he'd have that again. His only option was to rest and rethink his strategy. The tower wasn't even that far away from the branch he was currently standing on, maybe a hundred feet.

_You either fight and live, or die and lose, after all._

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_He'd been walking back to his house after finishing a job for some thugs, not even bothering to take the alleyways to hide from the Military Police. The gas tank from his maneuver gear was empty and he felt like he was making the fucking walk of shame or something. He'd never been with a woman – or man, for that matter – but he wasn't about to start. He'd been told time and time again that he had the emotional capacity of a dull blade and he wasn't about to disagree._

_He'd been paid handsomely, but doing the same job over and over got old fast, and it didn't help that his face was branded on wanted posters all over the Underground – the mere mention of his name enough to elicit fear. _

_It wasn't like it was the __same__ job each time, but the level of grotesqueness was starting to numb him. He was only twenty-six, for fuck's sake. He knew there was something better that he could be spending his time on, rather than murdering someone with a spoon – because that's possible – or tracking down some poor bastard. Problem was that he didn't know what that something was. He was fucking done with doing somebody else's dirty work, though. _

_And with that thought, he stomped up the stairs that lead to his house, nearly slipping in a puddle of blood that decorated one particular step – home, sweet home. At one point, he'd gripped his knife so hard that it carved into his palm. Though, he wasn't sure if it was his blood or somebody else's, which was a pretty shitty thing to realize._

_The puddles of blood weren't the worst of it, though. People died every day, either from sunlight deprivation or starvation – he didn't know which was more likely. He knew that people on the surface died every day as well, but for different reasons, not because they didn't have the clearance to take the stairwell to the surface. Limbs would give out, internal organs would shut down – caring about people in the Underground was pointless. Though, that's how he described everything._

_As he kicked the door open with his boot and lazily wiped at the blood hardening around the corners of his mouth, he made a beeline for the sink. He only had one room, but it was enough. There was a place to sleep, food to eat – he'd never needed more than that. Looking from the corner of his eye at his couch, he almost expected to see Farlan taking a nap on it or something, then he remembered that he'd left for the surface a few years ago. The two of them had been close, closer than he'd ever been with anyone else, but it seemed everything in his life went to shit without him even trying._

_He immediately let go of the knife and let it clatter into the sink without a single care, watching as blood trickled down his hand. Bruises would develop all across his body by morning – he was sure of it. The thugs he'd dealt with seemed to think he was a human punching bag. _

_It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts before placing all his weight on the rim of the sink and staring down the drain with a sense of emptiness. He reached for the grimy faucet, blood beginning to already stain the metal, but then he heard the sound of footsteps. Instinctively, he reached for his knife._

_A moment later, there was a knocking sound against the wooden door. He held his knife into his uninjured hand and stalked towards it, opening it in a matter of seconds and raising his knife to lunge at the intruder's throat. People he'd worked on a job with had always thought it was strange how he held his weapon, but allowing himself to angle it upwards simply put more force into his strikes. It was the same with his maneuver gear._

_With a quick turn of the rusty doorknob, he'd been seconds away from carving into the intruder's throat, then took note of his appearance. It was a man, incredibly old with crinkles around the eyes and a kind smile, which wasn't the typical crowd he attracted to his door step._

_Retracting his weapon, he sized him up for a moment before leaning against the doorway. He pulled out a handkerchief from the pocket of his trousers and began to clean the knife. "What do you want?"_

"_I have a job request."_

_He'd just decided he was done with doing the dirty work of others, so this old geezer had pretty shitty timing. It was highly unlikely that he'd actually agree to his terms anyway, but he gestured for him to continue, returning his focus back to the knife._

_The old man cleared his throat, withdrawing a small photograph from his suit pocket. "Before I give you the details, I can tell you right now that I have the power to give you citizenship on the surface." He handed him the photograph. "This is my granddaughter, Mikasa. In this specific photograph, she was only five years old. Three years later, she was kidnapped. I don't have the slightest idea what happened to her, but that's what I want you to find out, even if all you can bring me is her body."_

Well, that's fucking depressing,_he thought. __A little girl kidnapped by perverts?__ He'd never taken on that kind of job before. He didn't have a fucking clue what he'd planned to do with her when she was found, but he didn't want to think about it. The old man could smile at him as much as he wanted but the only people with that kind of money were the shittiest people this world could make. _

_It'd always been money that he was promised, sometimes jewelry. Citizenship on the surface? That had never happened before. He began to size up the old man again, narrowing his eyes at his pampered suit, his grey, slicked backed hair, and his beady eyes. It didn't seem to him like he had any sort of weapon on him, but there could be a gun in his shoe. Still, his eyes zoned in on the deep bags under his eyes, which made him __want__ to believe all this man was looking for was his granddaughter. That didn't necessarily mean that he did, though._

_"What?" he scoffed, standing up and walking back inside. The old man hesitantly followed behind. "Do I look like an errand boy to you?"_

"_I meant no offense, I assure you," the old man said. Levi nearly cringed at his polite language._

_With that thought, he knew that he was from the Capitol and fairly high up on the social scale. He'd made that assumption when he first opened the door and observed his fancy ass clothes, but now he was sure of it. Living in the Underground, he would never notice a difference in language, except on rare occasions. It was only once, but he'd had a job trailing a particular man who was travelling with the Military Police. He'd held himself in a certain way – the exact same way the old man was now._

_After a few moments of silence, Levi glanced at the photograph held in his hand again, realizing that he never really looked at it. It was taken on some sort of farm and the girl was very young. Her hair was black as night and her eyes were a color he'd never seen before – metallic and powerful. The old man was in the photograph as well, kneeling beside her as he held her tiny hand in his own. His lidded eyes widened when he took in the girl's pale skin. As if the old man was waiting for this realization, he immediately looked up at him._

_"She's an Oriental?" Levi found himself asking. The old man nodded in response and his eyes found their way back to the photograph again._

_He'd never seen an Oriental before, but he knew that some people in the Underground would kill to get their hands on one, especially a little girl. That thought brought a cold chill down his spine. If she was kidnapped, he knew why. _

_As his eyes bore holes through the photograph, he stared at her sleek hair that grew past her shoulders. What would they do to someone like her? He was taught to look the other way his entire life, probably because all he'd ever known was the Underground. Would people do the same if they saw this girl being auctioned off like she was a prize and not a person?_

_The old man seemed to be reading his thoughts, as he said, "I realize it is unlikely that my granddaughter would still be alive after ten years. If she's still alive, however, a rescue attempt would be difficult. As you probably know, the Orientals are scarce around here, even in the Capitol."_

_Ten years? That_is_highly unlikely. Though, he would wager that whoever kidnapped her would want to keep her alive as long as possible. The Orientals weren't just scarce for no reason. From what he'd heard, they used to be somewhat powerful in the government when the wall was first built._

_"Why would somebody like you..." Levi began, glancing at the old man's tailored suit. He set the photograph down on the table and crossed his arms, then continued, "...need help from someone like me?"_

_The old man looked as if he was expecting him to ask that at some point, as his smile was as warm as it'd been when he first opened the door. "As you probably guessed, I reside in the Capitol. My granddaughter, however, lived in the farmlands of Wall Maria with her parents. I rarely saw her but I've tried over the last few years to get the Military Police to help. They said that this matter was out of their hands, unfortunately." He walked over to the photograph on the table and held it in his hand, seeming to be lost in his thoughts for a moment. "I don't think they thought too long about my request, though. I'd planned on looking for her on my own before a kind, young man approached me. He said his name was Farlan."_

_He thought he'd finally gotten rid of his pain in the ass shenanigans after he left for the surface, but he'd been wrong before. Levi felt like he had steam coming from his ears at the mere mention of his name. It wasn't like he despised him, though. In fact, he cared very much about his well-being, but he absolutely hated it when people didn't mind their own business._

_"I'm assuming you know him."_

_Levi knew him, all right. He tried to be angry with him, but he couldn't ignore the fact that he seemed to be doing well on the surface, which was a relief on its own. Well, he seemed to be doing well enough to blabber his fucking mouth off about him to random strangers. _

_That thought caused his eyebrow to twitch in irritation and his mouth to form into a snarl._ _In order to calm down, he licked his lips and counted to ten. 1, 2, 3... He was going to use Farlan as a human mop... 4, 5, 6... He paused as he looked at the old man again, his lips tilted in an amused fashion. He reminded him of his uncle in a way. Not in the way that he'd murder somebody's entire family over a loaf of bread, but in those moments that his uncle would show affection for him._

_As he glared at the floor, his hands on his hips, he allowed a sigh to escape and scratched his head in an obsessive fashion. "Yeah, I know him. What did he tell you?"_

_"Nothing at all. He merely told me that you were used to doing jobs for other people as long as they paid well enough and that you might just be the best person for the job."_

_That's nothing at all?_Well, whatever,_he thought. The harm was already done. Still, he couldn't deny that he wished Farlan was here at this exact moment. Not because he missed him but because he wanted to throw abuse at him for the rest of his life. He glanced at the front door and thought about the steps leading to it. That would be a perfect place to throw him, as it would cause him bodily harm but not enough that he would lose consciousness._

"_Mr. Ackerman?"_

_After the anger towards Farlan faded, he found himself staring at his maneuver gear that was collecting dust in the corner of the room. He'd stolen it from a Military Police soldier not long after his uncle decided he could survive on his own. That was when law enforcement and thugs from other parts of the Underground began to dislike him – all because he'd decided he wanted to be of some use to others. It'd been the reason he could eat, had a place to live, but here it was collecting dust. There was no way he'd ever be able to use it again. _

"_Gimme that photograph again, old man," he said, holding out his uninjured hand. _

_He didn't want to give him any hope, but he'd been considering the job for a long time now. As the old man allowed him to look at the photograph again, his eyes almost softened at the little girl. Not because he was a pedophile intending to get with a twelve year old, but because that's how he was at some point. His mother had worked at a brothel and he wasn't exactly a dream come true, but she loved him all the same. This girl, though, she had an entire family who cared about her and was willing to do anything to bring her home. Family – what did that word mean?_

_He'd grown up in a completely shitty environment, but this girl still had a chance. Even if she was going through hell currently, she could start over. _

_And maybe that's why he said, "I'll do it."_

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He cracked his neck in preparation. There was a good chance he wouldn't be able to get back out, but he was nearly out of gas anyway. It was impossible to think that he could simply jump down and run back to Wall Maria, at least not for a while. If he could just hide out in the tower for a few days, maybe things would blow over and maybe the titans wouldn't even notice him. The only thing he allowed himself to do in that moment was believe he wouldn't regret the choice he was about to make.

Placing his foot against the tree's trunk, he ran all the way to the end of the branch and propelled himself into the air, using as little gas as he could to soar over the titans' heads. They tried to grab at him, but he'd been on the tallest branch. Even if gravity was against him, he could make it through that window.

Hooking his gear into the stone and brick, he pressed onto his gas lever and continued to soar through the sky. He couldn't resist the temptation to look down at the bodies of the military police. There were piles of blood and random assortments of limbs scattered all across the ground, but that'd been another choice he made. Still, it brought on a nasty feeling to his stomach.

As he got closer to the window, he realized that the landing was going to hurt like a bitch. He could make out some of the inside of the tower, but it was fairly dark in there. Covering his face with his arms, he braced himself for impact and yelled out an array of choice words. The glass shattered around him, piercing at his skin and ripping at his clothes. The impact had loosened his hold on his blades and they easily slipped from his fingertips, clattering on the floor below him.

Tomorrow morning, he was going to be in a lot of pain – he could tell that already. As his head was aimed directly for the floor of the tower, he tried his best to grab onto anything that would lessen the blow. There was nothing, though, and his knees were the first thing to land. He'd never broken his legs before, but as the pain tore at him in a variety of different ways, he realized there was a first time for everything. Next came his head as it slammed onto the floor, his bangs from his undercut falling into his eyes in a messy fashion. He could feel himself getting rug burn as his arms skidded across the floor, still holding his head. His face was probably covered in dirt and grime, but the impact could've seriously injured him. For once in his life, he welcomed the dirt.

He slowly opened his eyes, although every part of his body was screaming for him to close them. He took in what seemed to be the inside of a tower and noticed that it was – or used to be – someone's bedroom. He was several feet away from a tall mirror that looked like it hadn't been cleaned for centuries. Taking in his reflection, he looked just as bad as he felt. His clothes had been ripped to hell and back and he looked seriously out of place because the tower's interior was so colorful. All across the wall, there were drawings of different concepts – dragons, trees, and what seemed to be a self-portrait. The self-portrait itself was nothing special, but it detailed that of a girl with long, black hair looking out the window of the tower. He turned his head a little to the right and noticed there was a dresser full of clothes, a noticeably frilly blouse sticking out of the top drawer. Was this a _girl's_ bedroom at one point? The place was a mess, so his automatic response was that it was.

Just as he was about to sit up, despite his body's protests, he noticed a pair of feet standing before him. He knew immediately that they belonged to a girl when he noticed the ruffles detailing the bottom of her white dress. Not to mention the fact that there was black hair pooling around her, like she hadn't had a haircut in her entire life. He barely managed to express his confusion when he watched a blurry frying pan strike him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

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**A/N:** And that's the first chapter! I know several people are following this story right now but I hope that some of you have looked back at it to re-read some things. I went through some _extreme_ editing and now this chapter has a lot more detail and precision. I still think Levi is a little OOC but this is also an AU. Experiences shape a person's personality and although he's kept some of his traits, he will be somewhat different. His character, in my eyes, will be that of a sassy chatterbox. Anyway, this is just a brief note to tell you guys again to let me know what you think!


	2. ii: i could go running and racing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Shingeki no Kyojin_ or _any_ of its characters.

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**Edit:** This chapter has been edited, just like the first chapter. If you read these before 4/03, then I suggest going back. I said this in the last chapter but I really advise you to do so. Again, there is spoilers in this note so if you're new, please skip over this. I'll summarize what I changed, though. Basically, I added more dialogue in this chapter as well as details, just like the first chapter. I like to think that Levi is nicer, but he won't stay that way for long. I also added a brief section that was from Mikasa's perspective, which is pretty important. The major difference is the word count doubled from the first draft. I guess that's all you really need to know.

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**A/N: **It's the second chapter and things are going to get interesting fast. I have tons of twists coming up that I think will surprise you – or at least I hope so. I won't tell you which character plays what, but Eren Jaeger will be making an appearance later on as well as Grisha and Carla. I'm not entirely sure but I'm also thinking about adding in Petra Ral. But that's only an idea as of right now, so that might not end up being the case. I'm thinking of changing the title in the future, too. I couldn't think of anything when I submitted the first draft of this story, so I just typed the first thing that popped into my head. I won't change it for a while, though. At least not until I get the overall feel for this story.

Another note is that Mikasa is eighteen years old in this story while Levi is twenty-six. I just thought I'd clear that up because I have no idea if the rating will change later on. Probably, though, because I love me some smut. So if you're twelve and reading this, make sure you know what a diddly dong and boobicus floopies are. Otherwise, you'll be _very_ confused. Actually, if you're twelve, you probably shouldn't be reading fanfiction in the first place, but I'm not your mom. I hope you like this chapter and please let me know what you think! Thanks to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter. I'll do my best to keep updating regularly.

This chapter was inspired by _When Will My Life Begin (Reprise 1) _and the ending from_ Flynn Wanted_, more songs from the **Tangled** soundtrack. Up to you on whether you listen to it as you read or not.

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**ii:** i could go running and racing and chasing – and also hitting strangers with frying pans

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Mikasa woke up to the feeling that something was off. Not in the sense that she forgot to put her paint set away like last time and found it'd dried out overnight, but in the sense that something was _really _off. Occasionally, she would have these feelings before something strange happened. More often than not, they were simply feelings of anxiety. And so, she brushed off this particular one as she began her morning routine.

Crawling out from underneath her covers in the king-sized bed and pushing aside its curtain, her bare feet made contact with the tower floor. Running a hand through her hair and stumbling across a knot – actually, more than one – she realized that her hair needed a serious brushing. That alone would take an hour, at the _least_.

At times like this, she wished that her hair wasn't so long – long being the understatement of the century. You see, she had seventy feet of hair. In all the books she'd read, the average person had hair that barely went past their shoulders. In other books, she learned that hair would stop growing after it reached a certain length. Not hers, apparently. It wasn't all bad having insanely long hair, though. In fact, her hair could be defined as an extension of her arm sometimes. If she couldn't reach something, she would just throw her hair. If she was cold and had nothing to cover herself with, she'd simply wrap herself into a hair cocoon. Still, having long hair like hers was a lot of work – effort that she'd rather not put in.

As she looked around the tower, she remembered that she had some creative outburst the night before and regretted it. She loved to paint – really – but sometimes, it felt so pointless. All she ever painted was of things that she could never see herself, like things she'd seen in books or from her own imagination. Beautiful flowers, courageous dragons, and even some of her _leaving_ the tower. It was the same with all her other hobbies, like reading and cooking. What's the point of learning new information if you can't confirm it yourself or share it with others? What's the point of cooking if you have no one to share your recipes with? At this point, she was resigned to believe that she was never leaving. This tower would be her coffin.

Her paint set had been put away but she'd left random brushes covered in red, green, and yellow splotches everywhere. Sighing, she quickly began to collect them in her arms before dumping them into a pail of water to soak. As the paint began to dissolve and transform the water into a blackish color, she turned around and analyzed the rest of the tower, then realized that she didn't care if it was a mess. She didn't care –_ period_. Some of her many blouses were thrown all over the place and one of her perfume bottles at her vanity had fallen over, its liquid making a puddle on the floor. _Well, at least the tower will soon be smelling minty fresh_, she thought with a grimace.

Walking over to her vanity, she took a seat and stared at her reflection. How long had she lived in this tower? It had to be at least ten years, maybe more. All she would dream about were her parents and what it would feel like to bask in the sunlight instead of watching it rise from afar. The tower itself was composed of vines and brick and concrete, a single room inside - but it was a hundred foot drop. Even the titans guarding it couldn't reach half of its height, so escaping was nothing more than a dream, something that she could never make come true. If she ever wanted to leave, she had to wait until she was set free or someone came to rescue her, although that last part greatly annoyed her. She didn't need anybody's help.

As she continued to stare at herself, she took in her hollowed appearance. It wasn't like she was starving to death – because she was fed on a daily basis – but there was something deeper that was missing. Probably had to do with the fact that her parents were dead and she'd been held captive in a tower since she was eight years old.

Opening the vanity's drawer more roughly than she planned, she pulled out her brush and began to brush her black locks of hair. There were knots everywhere from tossing and turning, but she was thankful that her hair was naturally straight. If she had curly hair, like some girls did in the books she read, her hair would look like an absolute nightmare. Then again, there was no one here to see her have a bad hair day in the first place.

As she continued to pull and grab at her hair, squeaking at the pain, she paused at the sound of the titans outside the tower. Instead of being quiet like they usually were, they were growling at something. She slowly set the brush down on the vanity and looked in the direction of the window. That window felt like it was the reason she was stuck there, even if she could open it whenever she wanted. And so, when it shattered into a million pieces and a figure flew into her room with amazing speed, it felt like she had hope again – like her dreams of an escape weren't completely useless. In that moment, _nothing_ seemed useless, even if the figure in question was nothing more than a part of her vivid imagination.

_Maybe I've lived in the tower so long that I'm starting to hallucinate_, she thought. But as the shards of glass flew across the room, some landing in the pail of dirty brushes and others sliding all the way towards her bare feet, she realized that it was _real_. Pulling her feet more towards the vanity as to not touch the glass, her eyes zoned in on the figure laying on the floor, groaning.

At first, she'd assumed it was just some bird that had seriously miscalculated its flight patterns, but when she noticed that the figure had black hair and was wearing clothes, she realized it wasn't a some_thing_ but a some_one._

Standing from the stool, she walked towards what appeared to be a man. If he wasn't, then maybe the trend of undercuts had become _really_ popular among the female population while she was away. Her bare feet walked over the shards of glass on her way towards him, but she didn't care if they were cutting into her skin. This was the first time she'd seen another human being in years and it gave her so much joy, even if her face revealed nothing. Keeping a blank expression had been an automatic response she'd learned, after all.

The man had been covering his head on his way into the tower and as her feet stopped in front of him, she noticed how big his hand was in comparison to her own. Holding her hand directly in front of her face, she realized that she'd completely forgotten the little details about a person, other than the fact that people existed. Taking in his puffy pants and sleeves, she noted that he had no sense of fashion whatsoever. What was he wearing anyway? And what was that metal contraption wrapped around his waist?

As the curiosity was beginning to get the best of her, she dragged her eyes back to his face and watched as he slowly opened his eyes to reveal dull, blue eyes. Underneath, there were dark circles, but she could relate to that after having nightmares every night for the past ten years. She almost laughed at his cute, button nose, which was a serious contrast to his harsh features. It was only when he began to mutter to himself that she pulled away.

Should she talk to him? Would they even speak the same language? Waiting to see what he would do, she watched his bangs fall into his eyes and admired the dirt that layered his face as he began to sit up. She could make out a few choice words that he was muttering to himself as he leant on his elbows, then realized that she had no idea who this man was. Her fingers stretched towards her bed and wrapped around her lucky frying pan that was leaning against it. Holding it with both hands, she slammed it down on his head, expressing an apathetic apology as he did so. He immediately clocked out and slumped back down to the floor. Her head pulled back in surprise and she could only hope that the blow wasn't enough to kill him so she could ask him what the deal was with his pants. She lifted up her arms and looked at her own outfit, a white dress decorated with a pink sweater, and realized that her choice of dress wasn't any better.

* * *

_Why do I hurt all over? And why do I smell mint? _

Those were Levi's first thoughts when he opened his eyes for the first time. Well, he couldn't remember opening them when he first crashed into the tower – thanks to the blow to his head – so technically, it was the _second_ time. His eyes widened a fraction at the realization that he was in a different position. Instead of lying on the floor, he was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room with his hands tied behind his back by some sort of rope. It had to be good quality because he could barely move his hands. As he looked behind him, he realized that it wasn't rope but hair instead.

_That's just gross._

How long had he been laying on the floor before someone moved him? And more importantly, _who_ had moved him in the first place? His muscles needed to stretch or_ something_ because he was aching all over.

He began to struggle against the rope – or hair, he remembered with a shudder – and the chair squeaked against the floor in the process. He paused, though, as a female voice said, "Struggling is pointless. Who are you and how did you get in here?"

He squinted through the darkness and tried to locate whoever had said that. In the shadows, he could make out a person as they slowly walked towards him. Foot by foot, she walked into the light and his eyes immediately zoned in on the frying pan in her hands. _That_ was probably why his head hurt so much. She was talking to him, though, because her lips were moving. He couldn't concentrate – or bring himself to care – because of the bump on his head that was causing her to transform into a white blob for seconds at a time. Blinking for a few moments in an attempt to clear his vision, he nearly jerked back at her several feet away from him. Had she been holding that frying pan so tightly before? Honestly, he didn't want to know.

"I _said_..." she began, her lips turning into a snarl, "...who _are_ you and _how_ did you get in here?"

"You first," he said as he took in her appearance. Her hair was the exact same color as the rope and he quickly made the connection that it was _her_ hair that tied him up. Again, he shuddered at the thought. "Well? I don't have all day."

He was being _incredibly_ immature, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Her eyes had narrowed into slits and he took notice of her clothing, which looked like rags in comparison to his own. She was wearing a simple, white dress accompanied with some sort of pink sweater. It looked soft and warm, but not nearly as warm as the red scarf wrapped around her neck. The single piece of hair that hung between her eyes bothered him because how could she possibly see with that thing in the way? Her hair was layered all over, though, not just in her bangs. His eyes found their way to the frying pan again and he took note of how pale her hands were, along with the rest of her skin, and he realized that she had to be an Oriental. As he made that conclusion, he realized she was talking again. He hadn't been listening again, but whatever.

"I asked you first."

She grabbed the back of the chair, roughly pulling him forward. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, wondering which one would break under the pressure first. Levi's expression remained neutral as he said, "I asked you second."

It was strange but she didn't seem to be afraid of him in the slightest. Her hands weren't trembling under his stare and she was holding herself in a way that was confident, elegant even.

"Levi," he said after a long silence.

She let go of the chair and he immediately fell backward, which made him grunt in pain. Her eyes seemed to wander across his face for a moment before she began to circle him like a vulture or something. She had to pull her hair with her, though, otherwise it would've gotten caught around the chair's legs. The strands that were tying his hands together were held delicately in her hands. "Levi, is it?"

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance because he'd literally _just_ said that. He had no reason to lie, but as he once again found himself staring at the frying pan, he reasoned this girl had trust issues.

She stopped her pacing and gazed over at him with a cool expression. "My name is Mikasa. Now, how did you get in here?"

"With my maneuver gear," he replied in a flat tone, annoyed at where this conversation was heading. As he took in her confused expression and slow response, he continued, "The two canisters around my hips. They dispense blades to kill titans with and you use these levers..." He paused to direct her attention to the identical levers at his sides, then continued, "...to shoot out hooks to attach onto a sturdy surface, like a tree or building."

He wasn't sure why he'd told her that in the first place, or even gone into such detail, but was rewarded with silence either way. She swapped the frying pan from one hand to the other and allowed it to dangle from her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, the strands of shorter hair that had fallen into her face were flipped over her shoulder. She made a few quiet noises to herself as she tried to piece together the information that she'd just been given. After a few minutes, though, she seemed to understand.

"The average titan isn't big enough to simply reach into this tower, so I suppose that makes sense," she slowly said, as if coming to some sort of conclusion. "Then, you could use that to _leave_ this tower?"

He nodded and her eyes immediately lit up. He almost felt bad about telling her that he was almost out of gas, but then he felt the silky sensation of her hair against his hands and the fact that she was pointing a _frying pan_ at his face. As she took in the information, her shoulders slumped considerably and the frying pan nearly clattered to the floor. As she bit at the inside of her cheek, he looked into her eyes and realized for the first time that they were a truly unique color, reminding him of the metal placed around his hips.

_Metallic and powerful._

His lidded eyes widened a fraction, remembering that geezer and how he was hiding from the Military Police. If she hadn't _hit_ him in the first place, it wouldn't have taken him this long to realize that the girl in front of him was the little girl in the photograph.

"Mikasa?" he said, more to himself than to her, but she looked at him nonetheless.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, crossing her arms and tucking the frying pan under one of her armpits.

"Untie me."

Her mouth dropped open and she struggled to form a coherent sentence for a moment before looking towards the shattered window, then back at him. "Why should I?"

"If you want to escape, untie me. My blades from my maneuver gear are on the floor..." he started to say, indicating with his head that they were collecting dust near her mirror, "...over there." He hadn't told her about the knife tucked away in the confines of his pants, but what she didn't know wouldn't kill her.

As she narrowed her eyes once again, he could tell that she was trying to determine if he was lying or not. She glanced over at the mirror and saw the blades, and reasoned he wasn't. She carefully walked towards them, setting her frying pan down on the vanity and then picking them up, sizing up each blade individually. He could tell she was impressed as she mumbled to herself.

"Fine," she said after a few moments.

Her cool gaze slid over to him once again and she untied her hair from around his wrists. Almost expecting him to go on a rampage and strangle her, she took a few cautious steps back.

The uncertainty was evident in her expression, but it didn't appear to be out of fear. Carefully, he rubbed at the red marks that had formed on his wrists and tried to make no sudden movements. He didn't like the way she was holding his blades, like she knew exactly where to cut him.

Placing his hands on the chair's arm rests, he slowly stood up but nearly fell on his ass as pain shot up his right leg. It wasn't broken but it was _something_. Must've been when he broke through that damned window. At his new position, the sun was aiming directly for his eyes and he slowly raised his hand to partially block out its rays. It was so fucking bright that he wondered why he'd wanted to see it so badly all those years. That yellow blob was nothing but _annoying_ to him in that moment.

He looked over at her and she seemed to be more relaxed, which was annoying in itself. With great reluctance, he _hopped_ towards her. Her grip on his blades lessened with each hop. He didn't know why but he had this feeling that she could kick his ass, if the way she'd expertly held his blades and that frying pan said anything. He stood directly in front of her for a few moments before rummaging through his ripped trousers' pocket to pull out the photograph, which had crinkled and ripped somewhat on his journey.

As he turned it around and held it up for her to see, he asked, "Is this you?"

Though, he already knew the answer to that.

She swapped one of the blades over to another hand and she stepped closer to squint at the photograph. With her newly freed hand, she went to grab it and accidentally brushed her fingertips against his own, but she didn't seem to notice. She was silent for a few minutes as her eyes took in every detail that it had to offer. There was a look of recognition on her face, though.

"Where did you get this?"

"Some old geezer cornered me in my own damn house to demand that I find his granddaughter. Apparently she'd been kidnapped when she was five years old and he'd been looking for ever since," he said, crossing his arms and maintaining a nonchalant tone. He glanced at her but she'd only frowned in response.

"I don't have a grandfather," she said, furrowing her eyebrows, "but I think that's me. I recognize some of the plants in the background that my father used to grow."

He raised his eyebrow at that but decided not to push her. He snatched the photograph and put it back in his pocket, then outstretched a hand for the blades. At her unease, he said, "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

With his leg injured, he hadn't the slightest idea how he was going to get her out of there. Still, he would die trying if it came to it. His hands went to grab at his maneuver gear, just to make sure that everything was still working. Nothing seemed to be jammed, though, so his luck seemed to be good. He'd never been this lucky in his entire life. Actually, his life was full of nothing but _bad_ luck.

As she seemed to be lost in her thoughts, he decided to take the time to look at her bedroom again. In comparison to some of the living situations in the underground, it wasn't bad. It had that feeling of being a person's home, but he realized that probably wasn't how it felt to her.

He grimaced as he took note of the shards of glass scattered across the floor and how messed up his body must look underneath his clothing. You could hardly tell that there'd once been a window instead of a gaping hole. His eyes continued to look around and he admired the vanity and stool a few feet from the mirror. There appeared to be an entire collection of perfume bottles scattered across its surface. How did she bathe anyway? Or did she just spray herself with perfume instead? He did recall that the first thing he smelled was mint and it dawned on him that it was coming from one of the bottles.

His eyes continued to sweep over the bedroom and they stopped at a small, wooden table near the window – again, gaping hole would be more accurate. A basket was sitting on it and a quaint napkin was peeking out from the inside. How the fuck was she getting food in the first place?

Breaking the silence, he said with a sarcastic tone, "Sorry about the window. I'm sure it was nicely crafted."

She gave him an amused look before stepping forward and standing beside him, then said, "Hardly noticed since I spent most of my time looking _out_ of it."

He was trying to decide if he should say anything at all. Tightening his hold on the blades, he was about to walk towards the window when he heard the sound of a titan's footsteps. The ground shook beneath them, even up in the tower. Mikasa grabbed onto the bed frame to steady herself as the sound grew closer and her posture stiffened.

After it stopped, she turned towards him with a horror-struck expression. He didn't have a chance to ask what that was before she was roughly shoving him towards her closet, then shoving him inside. It was almost embarrassing to realize that with his size, he could perfectly fit underneath all her clothes.

"Oi!" he shouted, just as she was about to close the door on him. Her hands were delicately holding onto the door and she was peering at him with a confused expression, as if she had no idea what he was going to say. He opened his mouth to continue but she quickly looked over her shoulder and a shadow seemed to loom over the tower.

Turning back to him, she brought her index finger to her pink lips, indicating that he should keep quiet. And with that, she was already shutting the door on him and engulfing him into complete darkness. With a scoff, he leant more into the closet and sat like a good boy for a moment. He crossed his arms and found that his boot was nervously tapping against the wood. The silence was impossible to take and with that, he felt around for the door, just to get a good look of what was going on. However, when the door opened a crack, he nearly closed it again from what he saw.

It was a titan, all right.

That single window wasn't even enough to show its entire eye, only the pupil in the center. Mikasa was leaning out the window and gesturing with her hands, as if she was having a conversation with it. It was strange because it didn't seem to be aggressive, which was the common trait of a titan. In fact, it was almost as if it wasn't even a titan at all or a person in a titan's body.

The conversation to finish and its eye pulled back from the tower to reveal its grotesque mouth. He didn't know how many humans had the bad luck to fall down its throat, but he couldn't even understand why she was acting so friendly with a _titan_ of all things. He nearly jumped out of the safety of the closet and scrambled after her as she began to climb into its mouth, but his pounding heart eased into its once steady rhythm when she slid back down and into the tower – though, she was coated in its saliva. The titan pulled away from the tower again and then let out a mighty roar, causing chills to spread across his body.

And like that, it was gone. The ground continued to shake as its thunderous steps began to fade, but after a few minutes, he shoved the door open and nearly fell on his ass. The whole situation was terrifying and he hadn't the slightest idea why she climbed into its _mouth _of all things, then he noticed that she was placing loaves of bread – among other things – inside the basket on table. Placing all his weight on his hands, he managed to stand up but placed his palm on the closet as he struggled to stand upright. His head snapped to hers at the same moment she'd finished cleaning herself off – or in his case, not at all.

It was silent for a few minutes as his mind struggled to form a coherent sentence. He managed to regain his balance and stumbled his way towards the window. Peeking his head out of it, he concluded that the titan was long gone. His mouth opened and closed for a second as he turned his head in her direction.

"What the fuck is going on here? And you _better_ answer me in the next five seconds if you know what's good for you, you brat."

* * *

**A/N: **And thus ends the second chapter. I really struggled with keeping these two in character. I have no idea why but this chapter has been especially difficult. I'll write something and wonder if that's _really_ something they would say, then spend the next two hours re-writing one sentence. I decided I won't worry too much about it since I can just come back to it later. I mean, I've edited these chapters enough as it is but I think editing never ends when you're a writer. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! Honestly, anything would be cool. I love hearing from everyone.


	3. iii: gandalf's looking for you

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Shingeki no Kyojin_ or _any_ of its characters.

* * *

**Edit:** I've gone back and edited the past two chapters to include more detail – this one as well. The overall plot is the same but there have been little details I've added that you might want to go back and read if you've read this fanfiction before 4/03. The overall length of each chapter has doubled, I would say. Funny enough, the first chapter is actually longer than the second. I decided that there wasn't enough detail for the setting and character building, so that's why I went back. Again, it's all up to you whether or not you go back and read, but I would advise you to do so.

* * *

**A/N**: I actually started outlining what I want to happen in the story. That way, I won't be stumbling around in the dark with no idea what to write. Being organized is weird. I decided that I wanted this fanfiction to be more similar to the movie and it was really venturing as far as it could get, so I went back and edited things like I mentioned above. I'm going to incorporate more lines from the movie and situations, unless it really doesn't fit with where I want to go. It's hard to make it like Tangled, though, with the characters from _Shingeki no Kyojin_ and all. I think I have Levi as less OOC in this chapter, along with Mikasa. I guess she'd be a _little_ different since she wasn't rescued by Eren Jaeger like she was in the anime/manga. Backstory is still the same, though. You'll find out later what's different. I'm so excited for this chapter, though, because there's more action! And you meet someone special. Anyway, hope you like it! And let me know what you think, as always.

This chapter was inspired by _When Will My Life Begin (Reprise 2)_, another song from the **Tangled** soundtrack. I'm obsessed with the soundtrack, if you couldn't tell already. Again, feel free to listen to it while reading this chapter.

* * *

**iii:** gandalf's looking for you - something about a ring

* * *

When Levi stalked towards the window, then turned to her with a murderous expression, Mikasa realized that he was not the nicest person. If only she'd figured that out sooner, then she could've simply fed him to that titan – or perhaps feeding him to the multiple titans gathering around the tower would've been the better option. Still, it was too late for that now as she shrunk under his scrutinizing gaze, pulling her scarf past her lips. She hated to admit it but he _could_ be somewhat intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Well?" he prompted, placing his hands on his hips. However, Mikasa remained calm and collected as his eyes narrowed even more. She wasn't about to let a man that was no more than five feet tall tell her what to do. As such, she remained completely silent. After all, he could figure out the answers to most of his questions on his own.

_"What the fuck is going on here? And you _better_ answer me in the next five seconds if you know what's good for you, you brat."_

He wasn't as tough as he tried to appear, she realized. Empty threats – that's all he could do. Words mean nothing unless they hold meaning. She knew a little about swordsmanship and could _definitely_ kick his ass if the opportunity appeared. And she would do that _gladly_. His pathetic 'maneuver gear' blades would dull in no more than two uses. Well, she didn't even have a blade of her own but she could manage with her frying pan. The bump on his head was proof enough.

When she continued to say nothing, he scoffed and began to pace back and forth in the tower, rubbing at his temples in an effort to lessen what seemed to be a migraine of some sort. Simply watching him was giving her a migraine of her own.

"How about this..." he trailed off to gather his thoughts, touching at his lips with his thumb. He stopped pacing to glance over his shoulder at her. "...you explain what the fuck is going on and I don't toss your worthless corpse to the nearest titan. Deal?"

"Don't you need me alive?" she asked in a flat tone, pulling down the scarf so that he could understand what she was saying.

It looked like he was about to retort with something, but changed his mind at the last moment, allowing a look of utter distaste to take over his face. Clenching his fists at his sides, he began to stalk towards her with an expression that promised murder. She could tell that he was at his limit, but it was amusing nonetheless.

"Do you want to leave this tower or not? I will leave your ass behind if you don't stop being such a smart-mouthed piece of _shit_."

"Then you won't get paid." she said in response.

She _did_ want to leave the tower, even if she didn't say it outright. She wanted that more than anything else. The titan had supplied her with several hobbies to pass the time, such as painting and cooking, but hobbies meant nothing if that was all she did. It couldn't even communicate with her properly, so she was the most alone that she'd ever been in her entire life. Sometimes, it was even hard to remember that she used to have a family. But she also didn't want to beg for him to _save_ her. She had some pride, after all.

"Who knows?" he said, looking away and towards the window again. "I just want to get out of this god damned tower. It's depressing, isn't it?"

He was baiting her and she knew it. He knew that his empty threats weren't working, so he was trying to manipulate her into spilling information about herself and also making her think it was _her_ idea. Still, she wouldn't be around him for much longer, so the information that she'd give him would be ultimately useless in the end – if he managed to get them out of the tower, that is.

"It could be worse. The titan brings me food every day and those titans below were ordered to guard this tower from humans," she said after a minute or two.

Turning around, she walked over to the basket sitting on the table and began to sort through everything – the loaves of bread, strawberries, and slices of cheese mostly, which she'd received from the titan simply a few minutes ago. It occurred to her that she had no idea how such a big titan could carry such small items and keep them in good condition, but she'd learned to accept everything it did.

"Aren't you coming?"

If he thought a titan kidnapping her and locking her in a tower for ten years was a lot to take in, she hoped that he didn't find out anything else about her. Maybe he thought that because she was young that she hadn't suffered, but she knew that they would be together for at least a few days before going their separate ways. In that amount of time, though, she could only hope that they remain acquaintances. The memory of her parents was still painful to think about sometimes and the idea of caring about another person – only to lose them – was impossible.

"Yeah," he replied and watched as she held the basket in one hand and the frying pan grasped in the other. "We should hurry, though. That old geezer was hanging by a thread and he should see his granddaughter before he completely keels over."

* * *

Getting Mikasa to agree had been easier than Levi thought. Though, he felt like it was almost _too_ easy and she was simply going along with it while having an ulterior motive. She did have that look about her that she was always one step ahead of everyone else – or maybe that was just her face. Still, he couldn't complain. She was doing exactly what he wanted and that meant getting rid of her sooner.

Currently, he was climbing onto the window's ledge to get a good look at the titans below. _Damned bad luck that there was an entire group gathering around the tower_, he thought. But she had said that they were guarding it, so perhaps they'd always been there and it wouldn't have mattered if he was rescuing her several days before or a week in the future. If they weren't there, though, he could simply climb down the tower without having to use anymore of his gas, which wasn't much. He didn't know what Mikasa would do, though. Glancing at her hair, he could think of a few ideas.

As his hand grabbed onto a brick that wasn't sunk into the tower as deep as the others, he made some mental notes about his opponents. He'd have to fight them – that was for sure – but he'd never fought a titan before. Though, how hard could it be? He'd killed humans before and they were more dangerous, in his mind at least. A titan is bigger and slower. With his speed and intelligence, he could easily take them all on.

"What is it?" Mikasa asked from behind him, peering over his shoulder. The warmth she breathed onto his shoulder was almost scalding and he found himself fidgeting with the triggers of his maneuver gear to take his mind off of it.

"I'm going to have to kill them," he said, rolling up his sleeve to wrap one of his injuries in a cloth she'd given him. The part of his body that ached the most was his leg, but he needed his hands more.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye and watched her stony expression for a moment before he turned back to the titans below. A moment later, she asked, "Have you even fought a titan before?"

"Have some faith in me, will you?" he muttered, more to himself than to her.

The gash on his arm that'd been cut by one of the shards of glass was now completely wrapped in cloth and the relief was instantaneous.

"Maybe you should attack that one first," she started to say, pointing over his shoulder to the tiniest titan in the bunch, It appeared to be twice the size of a human, but with uglier features. "More your size, I would say."

He swore he'd never rolled his eyes as much as he did around her and he'd only known her for an hour. Farlan had been a pain in the ass with his short jokes and he'd known him for _years_. With Farlan, it was an occasional occurrence, not to mention his jokes were terrible. Mikasa, on the other hand, seemed to have a natural gift for it. "Hilarious. Never heard that one before."

"Really? No one's been _short_ with you?" she asked, taking a few steps back and allowing him a chance to breathe. He listened to the sound of her rummaging through one of the cupboards, but didn't have the slightest idea what she was doing.

"No one that's _lived_," he sneered.

He roughly covered a matching gash – though, it was higher up – on his other arm in the cloth but tied it a little too tightly. At that sensation, he uttered a hiss.

He had a feeling that she'd mention his height sooner or later. Not that it bothered him that much, but he was more offended by the lack of creativity. It pissed him off more, though, when Farlan decided to make a trend out of short jokes. The worst one was when he asked him for money because he was _short_ on cash. He'd laughed at his own joke for ten minutes straight while Levi watched on with a blank expression.

"Well, I've got to hand it to you, then..." she trailed off, looking over at him with a small smile, "...because you probably can't reach it anyway."

He'd been throwing pebbles from the window at the titans, attempting to determine if the fall would be enough to kill him when she said that. The particular pebble he'd held between his thumb and index finger simply dropped to the ground and missed a nearby titan by at least _several_ feet. In her case, the only way she'd stop would be if he ignored her, which seemed to be impossible. He licked at his lips for a moment, trying his best to conceal his irritation but failing miserably as he heard a snicker from behind him. At that, he sent a glare in her direction.

"Sorry," she managed to say through her laughter. "I'll stop now."

"You'd better. We have more important things to worry about than your shitty jokes."

And with that, the two of them didn't say another word. He'd been analyzing the titans' movements for ten minutes but he still hadn't the slightest idea how to kill them. Obviously, he knew that he would have to engage them with his maneuver gear and slice at the nape of their necks, but knowing and doing were two different things. He didn't want to admit it but he was feeling a _bit_ nervous.

The titans were average sized but they were still titans, the very beings that seemed to have no other purpose than to eat human flesh. They didn't care about horses or any other kind of animal, only humans. It was puzzling on its own and he tried not to think about it most of the time, not that he had to worry about them in the Underground. Still, where did they come from? When did they first appear and why? His only options, though, were to fight and win, or die and lose. As he observed the remainder of the Military Police's corpses, he realized that's what he'd become if he failed.

His best chance would be to simply jump from head to head, slicing up flesh as he went. It'd be hard with an injured leg, but he could manage. He'd have to be quick and agile if he wanted to avoid them swatting at him like some sort bug and squashing him beneath their grimy fingers, though. There was also the issue of how much gas he had left. None at all or barely enough to finish the titans off – he had no idea. Still, it was pointless to worry about all the things that could go wrong. And with that, he aimed his hooks at the tower and began to climb down far enough to be in jumping distance.

A titan emitted a growl of surprise at him standing on its head, but he soared through the air and sliced into its neck before it could fight back. Its last scream was enough to alert the other titans of his presence and he immediately felt a surge of power flowing through him, like he knew exactly what to do in that moment. The steaming titan began to fall towards the ground and he hooked into the tower once again, aiming his dull blade at an oncoming titan's eye. A gush of blood squirted from it and he used that to his advantage, propelling into the air and stabbing directly into its skull to catch himself.

He dropped down onto its shoulder, pulling out the blade from its flesh and grabbing another from the dispenser. The second titan was easier to finish off than the first, he realized. He seemed to speak too soon, however, as an oncoming hand snatched him in its fist. He couldn't move enough to cut himself free, but he'd killed two of those bastards. If he was going to die protecting some kid, then his life was already worth more than it had in the Underground.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mikasa had seen the whole thing and immediately acted on impulse. At first, she paced around the tower in search of something – anything – that she could throw to distract the titan in question. The fist that was holding Levi captive seemed to be tight – too tight for him to move – but not enough that it was crushing his internal organs. It only took her a matter of seconds to find some clay pots and throw them out the window, only to realize that they had no effect whatsoever. The pots would simply break into a million pieces on impact without the titan even realizing what she was doing in the first place. Still, it was puzzling to her that the titan was simply holding him there.

With no other options, she held up the frying pan that was firmly grasped in her hand and took a moment to aim accurately for its eye. It went soaring through the air and she realized that a flying trajectory probably wasn't its intended use. The frying pan hit the titan directly where she'd planned it to and she leant out the window to watch as Levi took the opportunity to slice his way out of its fist. He was covered in blood – either his own blood or the titan's – but at least he was alive.

Looking back into the tower, she was prepared to break off the legs of her own bed to assist him, but he had it handled, apparently – with her help, of course. His figure transformed into a spinning blur as it left slices and cuts in its wake, the titans falling to the ground as steaming corpses within a matter of seconds. The only indication that he was alive was that blood was splattering all over the place, his figure emerging without a single trace of injury. He stood on the last titan's head and allowed it to carry him to the ground before hopping off, then stumbling because of his injured leg.

Mikasa watched as he looked at his hands and the blood began to emit steam and evaporate into thin air. _It's stunning how fast he's able to cut into their flesh_, she thought. His leg had been injured, yet he fought as if it was painless. Of course, she'd never seen a person engage a titan before because there weren't enough soldiers brave enough to race into titan territory. Sometimes, she would watch from afar as a band of soldiers with green capes fought titans, losing the majority of their men in the process. Their bravery was something she greatly respected and she hadn't been too confident in Levi's abilities. But after watching him slay titans in a span of several minutes, she was stunned.

"Oi!" he yelled up to her, cupping his mouth with his hand. "Can you use your hair to get down? I'm out of gas."

She nodded in response, still lost in her thoughts. He was a brutal and emotionless man – that was for sure. If anyone could kill titans in that amount of time and still be completely sane, they'd have to be.

Walking into the tower, she began to feel mixed emotions about leaving. The tower was depressing and lonesome, but it'd been her home for the past ten years. Worse things could've happened to her, she reasoned. As her fingers traced the lines of her drawings on the wall, like the beautiful hydrangea bush that outlined an imaginary forest, she realized that in order to live, you must suffer. And she'd suffered and suffered and _suffered_. The hand tracing the wall clenched into a fist at that thought. Her parents were dead and the only thing she had to remember them by was her bright, red scarf. She would wash all her blouses, dresses, and socks, but not her scarf. It'd been a habit of hers to pull it past her nose so that she could smell it, even if their scent was faint.

Withdrawing her hand from the wall completely, she noticed that some of the dried paint had coated itself on her palm in colors of green, yellow, and pink. The past few years, she felt like a shell of a person, doing the same things each day. And for _what_? Why was she cherishing drawings on the wall of a tower that held her prisoner? They meant nothing to her and she realized that she didn't even _like_ to paint. It was messy, and sometimes, she couldn't even recognize what it was she was trying to bring to life. It was the visual aspect that she loved, though. Simply looking at the outdoor world, even if it was only from a swipe from her paintbrush, was beautiful to her.

"You coming, brat?" Levi yelled from outside, his voice barely reaching her ears.

She continued to stare at her hand and it soon began to tremble after being held in mid-air for so long – or that's what she told herself. It was then that she realized that she could do the same thing as the dried paint. She'd left her own imprint in the tower, like her vivid drawings and ragged clothing. After a while, though, it wouldn't be imprints of her but simply evidence someone had lived there. She would find a new place to call home and her imprints would fall behind there as well. With Levi's help, she could finally make the decision to not be a prisoner any longer. Wiping the splotches of green, yellow, and pink onto her white dress, she realized it would stain.

* * *

_Was she doing her hair or something?_ Levi had been finding things to pass the time while he waited for her, but she seemed to be taking her sweet ass time. He'd kicked a pebble that he'd thrown earlier around and even admired the stones used to make up the tower, but he was growing impatient. In fact, he was about ready to leave her ass behind. Who gives a shit if he didn't get citizenship on the surface? He was already on the Military Police's most-wanted list anyway. Maybe he could live outside the walls. Those titans had been easy enough to kill, after all.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, as he heard something from inside the tower and watched as her black hair cascaded from the window. In the sunlight, it seemed even sleeker than it'd appeared in the tower. She hooked some of her hair on a conveniently placed hook above the window, then jumped from it like a crazy person. As she lowered herself down, her face went through many emotions – joyful, nervous, and even sad, which didn't make sense to him at all.

Finally, she was nearing the ground when all of a sudden, she stopped. Her eyes were wide, as if she'd never seen grass before. Maybe she hadn't. Slowly, she uncurled her feet from under her and allowed her toes to feel the green texture. A big smile stretched across her face and she sunk to her knees, grabbing and yanking with her hands at the blades of grass.

He'd only raised an eyebrow in response and wondered what the hell he was watching. Eventually, she stood up and dusted off her dress, even though it already had a few grass stains near the bottom. He also noticed there was a stain near her abdomen, the colors ranging from pink to green to yellow. Had she been _painting _in there? A few seconds later, she pulled at her hair and the rest pooled around her bare feet. He had no idea what she was going to do if she stepped on a rock or something. Then again, she probably never needed shoes in the first place.

Giving her a grunt of approval, now that she'd decided to finally notice his presence, he indicated that they start moving. However, she was way ahead of him as she took off in a run towards the forest.

"What..." he started to say, then simply resigned himself to slowly trail after her.

He paused, however, when he noticed the frying pan she'd thrown in a puddle of mud. The temptation to simply leave it behind was _very _strong, but he knew she'd demand they go back for it anyway. And with that, he reached towards it with a grimace.

* * *

With each step, Mikasa felt so much joy that she wanted to explode. At first, she had been simply jogging ahead of Levi, taking in each individual plant and bush as she did. But then she'd notice a river curving around the forest and the birds soaring above her, so her jog quickly turned into full-on running. The trees whirred by her and she never knew that she could run so fast. There were so many things she didn't know, actually. The books she read only skimmed the surface – it seemed – as she dropped to her knees at the river. Her hands cupped some water and she threw it in the air, laughing to herself. The sound of footsteps behind her alerted her that Levi had caught up with her, though.

"Are you done?" he drawled, watching with a raised eyebrow as she continued to splash around in the river. He was barely holding onto her muddy frying pan in one of his hands, holding both of his dull blades in the other.

"Sorry," she mumbled. It was loud enough that he'd heard her, though. "I might've gotten a little bit too excited."

"I'm noticing that..." he said, but he wasn't irritated with her. "You know, this is titan territory, so you should probably be more quiet unless you would like to admire the inside of a titan's belly."

She nodded at that. "I guess that I've never had to worry about them before since I was safe in the tower. Even if I did, I always thought that people were worse than titans anyway."

He wasn't about to say anything, but then he found his mouth opening on its own, "You'd think with the titans around, people would work together. But that's not how it is at all."

The two seemed to reach an understanding then. As her eyes seemed to stare into the deepest parts of his soul, he realized that she was still holding that basket she'd been packing earlier in the tower, everything inside still intact. He didn't even see her carry it down, he realized. That reminded him of the frying pan that he was delicately holding in his hand.

"Here."

Her eyes widened as he tossed the muddy object and it landed directly in front of her. Some of the mud found its way onto her hair but as he noticed that her hair was covered in leaves as well, he figured it didn't make much of a difference. He could only hope that she'd want to wash it – eventually.

"Wash it, will you?" he muttered, feigning disinterest. His gaze remained on her hair, though. "Your hair, too. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lizard slithering in there or something."

He expected her eyes to narrow at the insult but she'd simply looked down at her hair with furrowed eyebrows. Again, why would he _lie_ about something like that?

"Oi!" he shouted. She stopped pulling random leaves and twigs out of her hair to look up at him. "It's going to get dark soon, so we should probably hide in one of those big ass trees until tomorrow. Didn't see any titans around, besides around your tower, but I don't want to take any chances."

He'd seriously underestimated how fast time flew by on the surface. In the underground, it was always dark, if not for a few street lamps. The only source of light came from the Stairway, which was guarded at all times. He hadn't lived anywhere nearby, though.

Mikasa gave up on picking the random assortments of nature from her hair and went to stand up, clutching her muddy frying pan in one hand. His eyes zoned in on her dress again, which was now covered in mud as well. He'd definitely have to teach her what it meant to be _clean_.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a horse, which wasn't impossible. The Survey Corps _had_ just been on another one of their ventures and it _was_ highly likely that soldiers died, leaving their horses behind after getting eaten. Still, he slowly turned around to see with his own eyes.

It really _was_ a horse.

It'd come from the east and it was pampered like a horse you'd see from the Capitol. As it neared closer, he noticed the traces of blood on its saddle. Its rider was probably eaten - cruelly. Still, finding a horse was a good sign. It was faster than the average titan and they could probably make it towards the gate by tomorrow after they took cover in a tree or something.

As he went to grab at its reigns, its eyes seemed to look at him with malicious intent. It began to race towards him and he quickly jumped out of the way. If he hadn't, he was sure he would've been trampled to death. Still, the horse turned to look at him again with even more maliciousness and he wasn't sure he liked that very much, taking a hesitant step backwards. Animals had never liked him, so he couldn't say the horse's behavior was that surprising.

Then, Mikasa walked around him and the horse's entire composure changed. She began to stroke at its mane and used her other hand to hold up its collar. "His name is Jean."

"Yeah, probably means 'horse from hell' in some dead language," Levi sarcastically muttered. His comment wasn't appreciated, though, as Mikasa stopped rubbing the horse's head to glare at him. He scowled in return.

"Don't mind him," she said, turning back to the horse and scratched under its chin. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she said, "I don't like him either."

"I can _hear_ you."

It was silent as she continued to pamper and scratch at the horse, expressing words of encouragement. He leant against a nearby tree and grimaced as he caught sight of the leaves in her hair again. He forced himself to drag his eyes away and looked at the sky, noticing it was getting even darker than it was before – and it'd been dusk.

"Would you stop babying that damned horse?" he shouted, walking towards them and grabbing ahold of her shoulder to steer her towards the tree. The horse whined in protest. "Climb, will you?"

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she decided against it. He hoisted her up and she grabbed at some of the lower branches. He instructed her to be careful, as some of the branches wouldn't be able to support her weight, which was a serious statement and not a stab at her weight.

As she continued to climb, her eyes drifted down to him silently climbing below her, his muscles flexing with each time he pulled himself up. Returning her eyes to his face, she asked, "Why didn't we just stay in the tower?"

He paused, then went to grab another branch. He ignored her as he continued to pull himself up branch by branch. He would have to pull something straight out of his ass if he wanted to avoid telling her that he couldn't exactly tell the time after living in the underground his entire life. When she didn't move, he roughly shoved her ass upwards.

"I was out of gas and I didn't exactly want to climb up that tower. Trees are easier to climb anyway."

Not that he would know since this was his first time climbing a tree. Still, sounding like a lazy piece of shit was way better than telling her anything about himself. Farlan had hardly known a single thing about him, and they'd been friends for years. With a roll of her eyes, she began to climb the tree again, stumbling a few times when she went to grab for a branch. Eventually, they reached the highest and thickest branch of the tree. It was the perfect size with enough room for them to sit side-by-side throughout the night. Levi slammed his back against the tree's trunk, grunting in pain.

"We're going to take turns," he said, settling his head more comfortably into the bark. When her only response was furrowed eyebrows, he continued, "The titans, or did you forget they existed?"

"No..." she trailed off, her cheeks burning.

"I'll take watch first, so you can sleep. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

At that, she joined him against the tree trunk and gathered her hair in her arms. Tucking her feet into the confines of her dress, she used her hair as a blanket. He could still see, but he knew it would be dark within the next hour.

From the titans' end, he didn't hear a single sound. Perhaps they were just like humans and slept through the night. As such, he reached towards her hair and began to pull the leaves that were knotted within the strands as she began to softly snore. Occasionally, his fingers would stumble across a twig, but he'd simply throw it behind him without a care about where it landed. He'd snorted once, though, when he heard the horse make a sound of protest. The twig had landed on its head, apparently.

Mikasa would move around occasionally, but she stayed clear of touching him – for the most part. After a half an hour, though, her head landed on his shoulder. He reasoned she was in a deep sleep and not in control of her actions. Still, he cautiously wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled into his chest. That way, he'd be able to make sure she didn't fall off the branch like he knew she'd find a way to _somehow_. It was the only reason he did so.

It was at that that he realized he was paying more attention to her snores than that of the titans.

* * *

**A/N:** Phew! It took me way longer to edit this chapter than it did the other two. I think I'm getting a general idea now of how long each chapter will be, which is around 5,000-6,000 words. I hope that's long enough! I'm excited about this story, way more than I was before. Actually, when I was looking through the first drafts, I was cringing. Even though I'd written them days ago. It's amazing what editing will do to a story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If anything was unclear, let me know and I'll go back and edit some things. Please let me know what you think! See you next chapter, which will be in a few days.


	4. iv: darling, i'm a nightmare

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Shingeki no Kyojin_ or _any_ of its characters.

* * *

**Warning:**The beginning of this chapter is a bit... intense. If reading about blood and death is triggering, then you might want to skim through it. It's important to the plot for you to understand the scene, but not necessary. I might boost the rating up anyway, since it'll just be getting more dark and *ahem* sexual in the future. Well, now that I think about it, the ending scene is kind of intense, too. You've been warned.

* * *

**A/N:** This is going to be sort of a "Part I" kind of thing. It ends kind of abruptly but I'll continue it next chapter, which will be soon. Also, I have no idea about the map of the walls or anything like that. I know that Mikasa's old home was in Wall Maria in the farmland, but that's it. I've read the manga and watched the anime, but most of the details will be coming from my imagination. And speaking of details, please go back and read the first three chapters if you've read them before _4/03_ because I added some crucial details. I put a note at the beginning of each chapter, which basically said the same thing each time, but things will make more sense if you go back.

Also, I don't know if any of you are wondering about how this AU is set up. If you are, the year is 855 and the titans haven't breached the wall. I clarified Mikasa and Levi's ages in a previous author's note, but I've decided to make Levi the same age as Flynn Rider, which is twenty-six. Levi never met Erwin nor did he join the Survey Corps. Mikasa's parents were murdered, just like in the manga/anime, but not by kidnappers. Obviously, Eren didn't save her but a titan did in her place. If you guys have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Finally, don't you just love the new cover? It's so perfect! I really wish I knew who made it. I got it off weheartit or one of those reposting websites, so I would really love if I could find out who made it so I can credit them! And thanks for all the reviews, you guys! Keep leaving more!

This chapter was inspired by _Return to Mother_, another song from the **Tangled** soundtrack. You can just assume that this whole thing is going to be inspired by the soundtrack, unless I run out of songs.

* * *

**iv:** darling, i'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream

* * *

_Mikasa had been in this forest before._

_She hadn't the slightest idea how she knew that, but it would give off the same eerie feeling. After all, it was always the same dream. Maybe the paths would be different or the plants lining the dirt road would be of different assortments, but she knew that it was the same._

_This particular version of her dream, however, was incredibly foggy and had just finished raining. Her bare feet were surely covered in mud by now as she stumbled across the dirty path. She knew that she was getting close to the end because she spotted the same three trees that would await her at the halfway point. At the end, there would be an odd house that resembled that of her parents' home in the farmlands of Wall Maria. _If only I could turn around_, she thought._

_It was almost like it was a lucid dream of some sort. She was aware that she was asleep at this very moment and that she could simply wake up. In leaving the tower, she'd hoped that all the bad dreams and memories would stay behind as well. But as she saw a light coming from behind a thicket of branches ahead of her, she realized that she'd never be free of her parents' murder. She'd always be reminded that she'd never see them again, that things wouldn't get better – only worse._

_As she continued to feel around through the darkness, she wondered if her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Dreams always had a meaning, after all. Though, she wasn't sure that she actually wanted to know what it meant. That – no matter what – everything she does will ultimately end the same way? That history will always repeat itself, no matter how different things seem to be? In all the suffering she'd endured, she refused to give in to that darker side of her._

_The trees were beginning to close in on her as the path narrowed, giving off a sense of dizziness as she struggled to continue. She'd stumbled many times already, cutting herself on some tree branches and bruising her big toe on some rocks, but she kept going. If she stopped now, then it would never end. Her bare feet felt like they were inflamed but as she pushed another branch out of the way, cutting herself on another place on her skin, she was rewarded with the sight of a familiar house._

_The door was wide open, which wasn't a good sign. Glancing behind her, she realized with horror that the path had disappeared completely. If she went back – and she doubted that she could – what would happen? Still, the thought of going inside was far more terrifying than the unknown._

_Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves as she made her way towards the gloomy house. It was the same path that she'd take with her parents all those years ago. Her father had been in the process of teaching her how to hunt for deer and turkey. Her mother would come along, but only to watch. This time, though, she was taking the path alone._

_As her heels dug further and further into the muddy path, she saw more details of the house. Modeled more so like a cabin, various plants were strewed across the yard for farming and a few pens around the back for farm animals. It began to rain again as she continued to stumble through the mud. At the feeling of her dirty feet, she wondered if she should clean herself before inevitably walking into the house. Her mother always worked so hard to keep the house clean. Even in death, she would appreciate it._

_With that thought, she steered off the path and dragged her feet through the wet grass. As she forced herself to walk up the steps, clinging to the railing as to not slip and fall, she hesitated for a moment before gripping the doorway to peer inside._

_Immediately, the smell engulfed her and she nearly fainted at the sight of her parents' bodies. But what had she expected to see? Her mother to scold her for being late for dinner? Her father to welcome her home with a kiss? As her eyes scanned the rest of the house, she found her eyes looking down at her feet. They were still coated with mud, even after dragging them through the grass, and blood was traveling towards them from a large puddle._

_It was the same in every dream, she realized. Sometimes, she would use the water pail from the well behind the house to not just clean her feet, but every part of body that was open to the night sky. Other times, she would allow the rain dripping on each individual piece of grass to clean off the majority of dirt and grime that had caked on her feet. Every single time, though, her feet would always be dirty by the time she walked into the house, almost as if she'd never cleaned them at all. _

_Maybe that was part of the dream? To have dirty feet when entering the house? Maybe that was something else her subconscious was trying to tell her. To stop trying and give up. To do things carelessly, even if others wouldn't appreciate it. To stop indefinitely._

_She watched as a tear fell and landed on her foot. The single drop was enough to cleanse a part of her big toe, but only for a moment. The blood would come back full force in only a few seconds, oozing across her foot like some sort of disease to coat a second layer. _

_Her parents had to have been dead for hours, yet the blood was still in locomotion. Actually, it was the only thing in the entire house that was moving or appeared to hold any life at all, including herself. No, she was not alive, but simply an observer. Her nine-year-old self that had actually been there was long gone, running away from danger like a coward instead of standing to fight. _

_As the blood traveled past her feet and onto the front steps, she wondered whose blood it was in the first place. Was it her mother's? Her mother probably spilled more blood after having her head split open. Maybe her father's? He'd simply been stabbed until he bled out or his internal organs stopped functioning. If it was the latter, which organ gave out first? _

She didn't know.

_That's what she wanted to scream – that she didn't know, to tell whoever was doing this to stop. She didn't know anything and she didn't want to. Knowing wouldn't help. _Nothing would help,_ she thought as she collapsed onto her knees and allowed the blood to stain her white dress._

_Her father was sitting against a wall, his head at an uncomfortable angle. His shirt was stained with blood but he hadn't lost nearly as much blood as her mother, who was lying in a larger pool of blood than when she'd first walked in. As she raised her hand to stop the tears, she noticed she was shaking, shaking so hard that she was sure she'd collapse soon. Her knees had, so maybe this was what her father felt when he'd first been stabbed. Every part of his body shutting down, but not at the same time. The smell of copper was getting to her, time was frozen as she fell forward and allowed the blood to suffocate her and engulf her completely._

I'm a coward,_ she thought before the blood swallowed her whole._

* * *

Levi thought of the black-headed girl currently snuggling into his chest, her breaths skating across his thin shirt and wondering to himself if she ever had nightmares. He didn't know how much time had passed since she fell asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a few hours.

Did she even _know_ what a nightmare was? A nightmare was waiting for the only relative that you knew alive to bring you food, otherwise you'd starve. A nightmare was watching someone that you knew die from either sunlight deprivation or random assault from some thugs. This girl... she couldn't possibly know _anything_ about what it means to suffer, to have nightmares – and she never would. Her fucking grandfather – who she's apparently never met – was going to great lengths to bring her home.

At that thought, Levi wondered about her parents – and his own. His mother had been a prostitute and the only reason he was brought into existence in the first place was because his father wanted a good fuck. Hell, he didn't even know his _name_. Were her parents dead like his? And did the titan have anything to do with that? Her parents could've been eaten by it and now it was using loaves of bread to fatten her up to the appropriate size. Actually, the more likely scenario would be that the titan had attempted to eat her but then she miraculously survived after being shit out and it decided to keep her as some sort of pet. That was way more fucked up, he realized.

Why did he care, though? No, he didn't care. As a human being, it was natural to be curious about others and that's all it was – curiosity. Still, he was supposed to be listening for titans and observe if they were active at night, not allow his mind to take a fucking vacation across the country. He'd heard nothing from the titans' end, though. Then he remembered that there weren't any titans around in the first place, even when it was still light out. What would he do if he heard one anyway? He couldn't even see his own hand as it stretched in front of him. They'd just have to wait for him to carve into their necks like fucking pumpkins. At that thought, Mikasa flashed into his mind again.

_"I always thought that people were worse than titans anyway."_

Her expression at that would be forever engraved into his mind. She'd tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and her eyes had been cast downwards, so devoid of emotion. At the back of his mind, he knew she had a good reason for saying so.

He didn't want to say it, but he agreed with her. Titans were predictable, while humans were not. A titan's only purpose was to devour every human it could get its hands on. Humans, on the other hand, would go against their own kind in the blink of an eye. And for _what_? Money or power? The only reason humans desire such things in the first place is to get the edge on other humans.

_What shitty logic. _

As he continued to lose himself in his own thoughts, he glanced down at the sleeping girl again, even though he could barely make out any of her features. Maybe it was ignorant of him to assume she'd never suffered. He didn't know why but he wanted to know what had transpired for her to become locked in a tower under a colossal titan's fist.

The sun began to rise at that moment and he took that as a chance to memorize everything – from her softened features to that single strand of ebony hair hanging between her eyebrows. Her toes were sticking out from under her dress, other strands of her hair falling into her lap as she squirmed around, and her eyes were furrowed in an unguarded expression. At that last detail, he watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek and onto his shirt.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. Just like a harpoon, her eyes had the ability to take hold of anything – or anyone – and hold them there. Her back slammed into the tree trunk as she glanced at him, to the scenery around them, and then back at him, almost as if she'd forgotten where she was.

As her hands gripped at the branch and tree trunk to steady herself, he quickly focused his attention somewhere else. At that, he admired the view that the branch gave them, staring at the bloody grass below and the titans' corpses gone completely. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her touch at that single tear and then scrub fiercely at it with her knuckles.

At her reaction, he knew that she'd be more troubled by him witnessing that single tear. Though, he wasn't sure why he cared about what she wanted.

"Great, you're finally up," he drawled. "The titans are going to be rising soon, so keep your guard up. I need to fucking sleep. Yell if you're being eaten."

He didn't look at her as he said this, but took her silence as confirmation. And with that, he settled his head as comfortable as he could into the tree trunk and crossed his arms. Maybe in his sleep he'd have enough nightmares for the both of them. Though, he had a feeling it was the other way around.

* * *

All Mikasa could do was gape at him as he settled into the bark, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. As usual, she had no idea how to act towards him. Her eyes zoned in on the dark circles under his eyes, though, and she allowed him to have this moment without rebuttal. How long had she been asleep in the first place? For a moment, she felt slightly bad about making him keep watch all night, but then remembered his personality and decided that it was a waste of her emotions.

_"Yell if you're being eaten."_

At that, her eyes narrowed into slits and she observed his sleeping form, hoping that the branch would break out from under him. As she looked away and squinted into the distance, though, there didn't seem to be any titans around at all – not even miles away. Is that why he was so calm? No, she realized. He'd always been like this, even from the first moment they met.

A snore erupted from him in that moment and she dragged her eyes back to his face. _How did he fall asleep so fast? _His arms had uncrossed in the transition and his expression was somewhat vulnerable. She didn't like him – no, she had never disliked a person so much in her life – but there were always questions lingering around him. As she watched his small, button nose breathe in and out, she realized that his harsh personality was some sort of defense mechanism. His brows evened out at that, but his lips remained a thin line.

It was at that that her thoughts drifted back to the tower and her captor. The titan was mysterious, but it'd been like no titan she'd ever seen. It was large, but if titans had beating hearts, she guessed that its heart was the biggest. Levi had mentioned more than once about his distaste for the titans – and maybe she agreed – but they'd never shown her harm. Her tower had remained safe because of the titans below and _she'd_ remained safe because of the colossal titan that would bring her food and company. Sometimes, it'd simply drop off food and be gone within a flash. Other times, it'd stay behind and grunt at her – which she figured was its own way of making conversation. She hadn't the slightest idea what it was trying to say, but now that she was free of the tower, she felt somewhat sad at the thought of it returning to an empty tower. The last thing on the titan's mind was to harm her – surely. Still, she felt somewhat anxious at the thought of it chasing after her.

At that, she realized that she wasn't afraid for _herself_, but for Levi. She'd seen the way he was with his maneuver gear and how quickly he could slaughter an entire band of titans. Still, one of the titans had easily grabbed him and nearly crushed him – if not for her help. After all, even the greatest soldiers weren't enough to withstand certain titan attacks. She'd have to find some way to assist him – just like she'd done with the frying pan and clay pots. If she simply watched from the sidelines as he was injured or eaten, she would regret that for the rest of her life. It wasn't like he'd forced her to leave the tower anyway. No, she made that decision on her own – even if he'd helped her consider it. He was an insufferable, short man but that didn't mean he deserved to die.

Out of the corner of her eye, the belt strapped around his waist began to reflect the sunlight. If she could learn how to use that – which she was more than capable – than the likelihood of him surviving was higher. There would definitely be more to mastering the equipment than meets the eye, but she was strong, more than strong. Levi probably saw her as nothing but a package to deliver, but she could manage as long as she had the right equipment and training. Although, her hair would definitely be a problem. Still, she'd figure it out somehow. She refused to be a burden a second time.

With that, she quietly stood up and walked along the branch, then plopping herself down at the end to watch the sun rise. It was the same as when she was in the tower, she realized. The sun was never something that she could truly appreciate, no matter where she was. It would always be out of her reach. But as she swung her legs and they dangled over the end of the branch, she realized that she was closer to that bright light coming from the horizon than she'd ever been.

* * *

Levi woke up to the sound of chewing.

As he squinted at the blaring sun that was definitely not that fucking bright several hours ago, he tilted his head to look at Mikasa. She was perched like some sort of bird with her legs tucked underneath her as she chewed a loaf of bread in small bites, pieces of it falling into her lap, onto the tree branch, and onto the ground. His eyes narrowed. Not at the brightness of the sun, but at the thought of her eating something that was in a titan's _mouth_.

Her eyes met his after a minute of chewing and swallowing, and she stopped, taking note of his disgusted expression. Levi blinked at her in response. However, she took his naturally lidded eyes and parted lips as him being hungry. With an innocent expression, she offered him half of the loaf.

To her, it was a normal loaf of bread. To _him_, it was a loaf of bread crawling with bugs, grime, and other disgusting things. He could imagine a worm slithering out of it as she held the loaf to him.

"Don't you remember where that's been?" he asked in a sharp tone, crossing his arms.

She finished chewing and swallowing, then brought the loaf back to her mouth, taking a big bite while her once innocent expression transformed into that of an irritated one. He could only watch in disgust as he turned to look at her. The amount of germs that could possibly be in that one, single loaf was flabbergasting to him. He was hungry but not _that_ hungry. In fact, he could admit to himself that he'd rather starve. It seemed to him, though, that she was only continuing to eat it to gross him out – and it was working.

"Disgusting woman," he muttered to himself, glancing away from her and at the sun once again. How could something be so beautiful and so _annoying_ at the same time? He was talking about the sun, by the way.

He cracked his neck, placing his hands on his knees to sit up and stretch more of his limbs. Before he could, though, the girl in question shoved a loaf into his mouth when he yawned.

You could say that she was simply being nice by giving him some of her food... or you could say that she was being a pain in his ass. All he could do was hold it in his mouth, allowing it to go no further, and turned to glare at her. _Really?_ Her expression was similar, but there was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. He spit the entire loaf into his hand, grimacing at the saliva decorating a good portion of it, and chucking it without a single care – perhaps it would become a worm's new home.

"We need to ride to the wall," he said, finally standing up.

She nodded, the loaf incident forgotten as she stood up and smoothed out her dress. He glanced at her one more time before grabbing a hold of the branch to climb down.

"Do you need my help to get down or can you manage it on your own?" he asked, hoping that she'd answer with the latter. He could still taste the salt in his mouth, after all.

"I can do it."

He paused for a moment, holding onto a firm branch and watching as she gathered the basket with one hand, placing the frying pan inside to free the other. The basket swung from the comfort of her elbow and she began to pull all the strands that'd fallen off the branch in the middle of the night into her palm. He thought that she'd simply climb down, but he was mistaken as her hair slithered down the tree like some sort of snake, and she followed suit.

His grip on the branch had loosened slightly at the sight of her, but he quickly began to climb down again as she neared the ground. It wasn't like it was that high up in the first place. They'd been on the highest branch and the average-sized titan wouldn't have been able to reach them. Climbing down would've been easy enough but _apparently_ she was in some kind of hurry.

_Show off._

"You in a hurry or something, brat?" he shouted down to her, continuing to climb down carefully. As he did, he took notice of a bird's nest situated on one of the branches. The babies were lively and chirping as they awaited their mother's return. It reminded him that not all life had been destroyed by the titans – that other life was still thriving.

Mikasa didn't respond, but he hadn't expected her to. As he glanced down at her, he noticed that she was picking out leaves and twigs, combing through her knotted hair with her fingers. He wondered how often she brushed her hair in that tower and how long it took. The moment he'd met her, her hair was so shiny and smooth; it probably took her hours.

As he landed beside her with a thud, she didn't move a muscle and he wondered why she was so quiet. He didn't dwell on that long, though, as the horse made enough noise for the both of them. Mikasa dropped the strand of hair that she'd been picking at and immediately went to soothe the horse, causing it to _somewhat_ calm down. As he glanced around at the scenery, he noticed a loaf of bread that a trail of ants were picking apart and taking to a nearby anthill.

"The wall shouldn't be more than a few miles. If we see any titans, I'll take care of it," he said.

This was the first time in a long time that he had no fucking clue what he was doing. With no gas, he hadn't the slightest idea how he would take on a titan, let alone _more_ than one. Not only that, but every soldier in Wall Maria would recognize his face and arrest him on sight. They wouldn't recognize her but there'd be no point taking her anywhere if he got arrested. And simply scaling the wall wasn't an option either, leading back to his empty gas tank. But what else was he supposed to do? Hold hands and sing kumbaya? He'd figure out something, even if it killed him.

The horse, fortunately enough, still had a saddle attached to its back. Still, he wasn't sure how pleased the horse would be to have him riding on him for a few hours. Levi used the distraction of Mikasa coddling it to hoist himself onto the saddle, swinging his legs over each side. The horse immediately began to protest, but Mikasa scratched at its chin to calm it down. He glanced at her, nodding his thanks, then gestured for her to do the same.

"We don't have all day," he drawled after she hesitated.

As if feeling his eyes on her, she slowly walked towards the saddle, then tried to hoist pull herself up behind him. After she struggled for a few seconds, he rolled his eyes at her incompetence, forcefully grabbing her hand to pull her up. She landed directly behind him on the saddle, then situated herself more comfortably. As he gripped the reigns, he nudged the horse to take off and surprisingly, it obeyed him without a single shout of refusal.

"Put your hands around my waist," he ordered over his shoulder, glancing at her for a moment. When she didn't do anything right away, he grabbed her hand again and held it over his stomach. Slowly, her other hand followed suit and he took hold of the reigns again. "You'll fall on your ass otherwise."

"I'm not a child," she muttered as she settled her face into his back and tightened her hold around his stomach. He didn't even have to look at her to know that she was pouting.

"No? Then start acting like it."

He didn't know what crawled up her ass, but he was getting sick of it. At least yesterday she was somewhat tolerable. _How old was she anyway_? With the way she was acting, he'd assume she was twelve years old. Still, he could make some deductions about her age from when the photograph was taken and came to the conclusion that she had to be older than sixteen. The old man said she was around five in the photograph, then kidnapped a few years later. He couldn't decide if she was lucky or unlucky to have been kidnapped by a _titan_ instead of a human, though.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as it began to softly rain. As he looked to the sky, he noticed that it was taking on a somewhat foggy appearance and the clouds definitely hadn't been so stormy an hour ago. In fact, the weather had been promising.

As puddles of rain began to develop across the country, he realized that it was dangerous weather for them. He could barely see ten feet ahead of him and if there were titans around, they'd make a decent meal. The forest would shield them for a few moments but after emerging, it'd be especially dangerous. Mikasa began to shiver from behind him, taking a hand away from his stomach to readjust her sweater. There was a chance that there'd be no titans in sight, just like when the military police had been chasing him. _Do I want to take that chance, though?_ Mikasa didn't have a weapon and he didn't exactly feel confident that she could defend herself if she did.

He squinted through the fog and managed to locate a deserted village. The horse must've taken a detour or something because he didn't remember coming across it before. Pulling back at the reigns, the horse slowly came to a stop, just in time to hear a scream.

"No! Please!"

Mikasa had heard it too, as she tensed from behind him, then peeked over his shoulder at the gruesome scene before them. The fog began to somewhat clear but the rain fell down on them harder. It seemed to be a village that had long been abandoned, most likely because of the titans. There was blood everywhere but it wasn't fresh. The events that had transpired must've been at least a day ago. In the distance, he could make out the form of a titan and he knew that it couldn't be good. He glanced over his shoulder at Mikasa, almost wanting to shield her from the sight.

"Did a titan do all this?"

"Looks like it," he said in response, jumping off the horse. Nothing good could come from drawing closer, but he couldn't seem to stop himself as his boots sunk into puddles of mud, nearly tripping as his feet encountered an arm that'd been separated from its body.

The color of its sleeve was the same color as a soldier's uniform from the Survey Corps. At that thought, he realized this was why there had been so few soldiers to return when he'd all but raced out the gate. It was only a few seconds, but he _had_ noticed their numbers were fewer. That hadn't affected him personally, though, and he hadn't thought about it too much. Still, as he encountered more separated limbs, he almost felt sick at the sight.

His head turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. He knew it was Mikasa by the sound of her feet making contact with the mud. A person wearing shoes would've made a completely different sound. At the thought of her muddy feet, it crossed his mind that her hair was probably in worse shape.

"You should've stayed on the horse," he said, turning back to look at the bloody scene. He kicked an arm out of the way in disgust, but also out of pity.

She said nothing in response but after hearing another scream from the nearby soldier, he cautiously took a step back. They couldn't be around when the titan finished its meal, he realized. He could barely see anything with the fog and rain, yet they were walking around a deserted village littered with body parts. A titan was the only thing that could've slaughtered an entire squad – or two – of soldiers. The likelihood of that very titan still lingering around was high and at that, he realized that it _was_ still around. It'd been that very titan he spotted in the distance, though its silhouette was faint.

A pain shot through his leg as he continued to back up. After travelling on the horse for so long, he'd almost forgotten how bad his leg felt. As he turned around, though, he heard the sickening sound of a body being torn in half. Wherever the screams were coming from, they wouldn't continue.

At Mikasa standing at his side, he immediately grabbed for her arm and began to lead them away from the scene with hurried steps. Without any gas in his tank and an injured leg, there was no way that he could defend her if they were discovered.

"Mikasa."

It'd been the first time he'd said her name, but the situation had called for it. At that, footsteps began to shake the ground from under them and he began to shove at her back, urging her to run as fast as she could to the horse.

"Run, dammit!"

* * *

**A/N:** I originally didn't want it to end here but it was going to get way too long if I continued. And I'll admit, I got inspiration for the ending scene from _A Choice with No Regrets Part II_. The atmosphere reminded me of Mikasa's dream, but there will be some features that will stand out next chapter, which I'm excited for. I think it'll be the defining moment of their relationship. Also, I'm sorry I took so long to finish this chapter! As I said before, I've been editing the previous chapters, so maybe that was just an excuse for being in a rut. I'll have the next chapter up soon, though! Leave reviews to let me know what you think and thanks for all the follows!


	5. v: there's always a storm before a calm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Shingeki no Kyojin_ or _any_ of its characters.

* * *

**A/N:** I think there's something wrong with me with the fact that I enjoyed this way too much. There's something about dark themes and my favorite characters suffering that spikes a thrill somewhere deep inside. Who knows. Anyway, this is really the point – like I mentioned in the last chapter's ending note – that their relationship will have a shift. Up until this point, they've been nonchalantly tolerating each other. I'm not saying that they'll immediately make out soon, but this is really the point that things change for them! I didn't necessarily see anything that happened between them this chapter as romantic, but it does show that they're beginning to care about each other – whether they are aware of it or not.

Also, I'm really sorry that this took like a month (okay, like, two) to get updated! I finished my second semester at college and moved back home. I've been looking for a job and playing Animal Crossing. But other than that, I don't really have an excuse. The first part of the chapter was easy to write but the actual fighting... I won't lie. I kind of suck at action scenes and I'm not sure if I like where this chapter's going. I've literally written a section at a time, waited a few days, then come back to edit, which has really helped! I originally didn't like the second section of this chapter, but I do now!

I'm also wondering about what you guys think about my constant switching of POV? Like, one section will be told from Levi's and another will be told from Mikasa's? I like it, but I want to know if it's kind of annoying. I guess when I write in third person, I always have to concentrate on a specific character because it helps me, I guess. I don't like to be so disconnected from my characters and doing that helps. Let me know!

This chapter was inspired by the _Return to Mother_ and _Campfire_, both songs from the **Tangled **soundtrack! Listen as you read, if you like.

* * *

**v**: there's always a storm before a calm

* * *

Mikasa felt like she was unable to move. It wasn't like she'd never seen a titan before – because she had – but it was never up close and it was always from a distance. As she stood there, she could barely make out the outline of its form in the foggy atmosphere. From what she could tell, it was larger than the average titan. It seemed impossible that one titan could take out an entire squad of soldiers, though. Maybe the titan wasn't solely responsible and was simply a scavenger? Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a hand at her back, shoving her forward.

All sound seemed to fade away as they ran towards the horse, slipping and sliding in the mud as they went. There were bodies everywhere – even bodies that weren't completely intact. It was at that thought that she realized that the titans didn't attack humans because of starvation, but out of some twisted instinct. In their minds, killing was some sort of hunger that could never be filled.

At one point, she nearly tripped on the torso of a fallen soldier, but found herself being pulled into a firm chest before she made contact with the ground. The sensation emitted a surprised shriek out of her. After that, Levi ordered her to wrap her arm around his back for support as he did the same, and they ran at a slower, more controlled pace. The sight of severed body parts was forever ingrained in her mind, though. As she glanced from a torn arm to her bare feet, she wondered if there was more than just mud and grass coating her toes.

Finally, they reached the horse and Mikasa immediately gripped its fur, stroking its mane for comfort. Levi, on the other hand, simply leant against its body and hissed at the pain from his injured leg. At that, she turned to look at him thoughtfully, then back towards the titan to see if it'd spotted them – and it hadn't. As their breathing began to even out, the sound of rain continuing to fall from the stormy clouds above came back into focus.

_"Run, dammit!"_

It seemed that there was more to him than she'd originally thought. Hours before, she might've easily said that she despised him and wished that she never met him. Now, she wasn't so sure. As he bent over to gently massage his leg, she admired his physique that she could clearly see through his drenched clothing. For such a small man, he _was_ muscular.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself, either out of pain or the situation at hand. He seemed to be thinking hard about something as his eyes flickered from her bare feet, to the horse's hooves, to the muddy terrain. "Mikasa, you need to get out of here."

"What about you?" she asked. Her hands were coated in grime and mud, but nevertheless, she pushed away the strands of hair that'd fallen into her face.

The ground shook from under them again, indicating that the titan was moving. Mikasa hadn't realized how quiet it'd been and she realized that silence was far more terrifying. Had they been spotted?

"I'll distract the titan," was all he said in response. Mikasa went to argue with him but he silenced her with a single look. "I'll distract the titan... and you need to get the fuck out of here. No point in us _both_ seeing the inside of a titan's belly."

"No."

He dragged a hand down his face in a tired fashion. Her mind was made up, though, as she regarded him with a cool gaze. "Can't you just do as you're fucking told?!"

At his tone, she instantly recoiled, then reaffirmed herself with a hard stare. She knew that he was only acting this way out of fear – possibly fear for her as well.

"I said _no_," she seethed, slowly withdrawing her fingers from within the horse's mane and placing a single palm on its side, turning towards him. Levi unconsciously did the same as they glared at each other. "I will _not_ leave you behind."

"Listen here, you stupid woman..." Levi began, pressing his hand more firmly into the horse's fur. "If you stay, you will surely die." His fist clenched at that and he took a calculated step towards her. "I can't guarantee that you'll even escape in the first place, but I'll be damned if I let some _child_ die along with me."

His face was inches away from hers and all she could do was stare.

"You have a family, you hear me?"

His eyes were unwavering, even as his voice took on a gentle tone. After a moment, his eyes narrowed and he quickly avoided her gaze, looking at the ground before taking a step back – almost as if simply looking at her had burned him.

At the mention of her family, she moved forward and grabbed his shirt collar. "No, I don't," she said, clenching her jaw. The material that she held in her fists felt like velvet, but she kept her grip as her lower lip trembled. "My family died a long time ago. I should've died along with them."

His eyes widened at that. He seemed unable to look away as her fists began to shake. For a moment, it almost looked like he was looking for something.

"You..."

Her grip on his shirt loosened and she cautiously stepped back. As the rain continued to fall down on them, she was thankful that it was covering her tears.

"I..." she began, but stopped herself in order to collect her thoughts. "...can't do it again."

Back then, running away was her only choice – or at least that's what she told herself. If she would've acted more quickly, maybe her parents would still be alive. Still, if she hadn't ran when she did, a worse fate than being locked in a tower might've awaited her. This time, though, she couldn't run. This time... she had a choice, and that choice wasn't to leave a dying man behind.

"Again?"

"We fight together," she said, ignoring his question.

"You'd just be a nuisance." Her expression quickly transformed into that of anger. "You've never even _fought_ a titan, unless your titan boyfriend allowed you to do target practice on its face."

It felt like there was steam coming out of her ears. What did he know about _anything_? It seemed that he forgot that yesterday's battle had been his first time fighting a titan as well. And with that thought on her mind, she quickly reached for one of his blades. Blood trickled from an open wound as she held it against his neck, but he simply raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a nuisance," she said calmly, slowly applying more pressure to the blade as more blood spilled from the wound. "Don't taunt me. I know _exactly_ where to cut to make your death as painful as possible. Still, that would be merciful in comparison to leaving you behind."

To her surprise, he didn't even flinch as she pressed harder into his skin and his collar began to stain with his own blood. At that, she simply withdrew the blade and held it at her side, regarding him coolly.

Her eyes glanced down at his injured leg. "How long do you think you'll last with that injury? Minutes, perhaps. With no gas in your tank, a few dull blades, and no assistance, you'll die slowly at the hands of that titan." Her lips took on a cruel smile. "You _need_ me. But you already know that, don't you? You're just too proud to admit it."

Mikasa expected him to retaliate in some shape or form, not stand there stiff as a board. As she stared at him, she couldn't determine what he was thinking, no matter how long she stared. Even as minutes passed by, he said nothing.

She stepped forward, allowing the blade to drag across the muddy terrain and make a sharp line as she moved. Their chests were nearly touching again and she looked down at him. For a moment, she thought that she saw his lips tilt up in a small smirk.

"You know exactly where to cut, huh?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "The plan is the same. I'll distract the titan—"

"Wha—"

"Let me finish, you damned _brat_," he growled, yanking the blade from her grasp. "I'll distract the titan... and you go around the back and cut into its nape."

At that, a self-contented smile grew on her face.

* * *

Levi watched as Mikasa stumbled her way through the mud, bending over a corpse to retrieve a set of unused blades. She sized them up individually and glanced over her shoulder at him, which caused him to quickly avert his eyes. Though, he didn't know why.

Maybe it was because of that damned smile of hers, which was enough for him to take a step backwards and re-evaluate his life. It was just a smile, a slight curve of her lips. He realized that that was the first time she'd ever smiled at him – really smiled. Her hair had been sticking to her face by either mud or rain but she still managed to look better than him, and he didn't need a mirror to know that. She'd looked so grateful and _happy_ that he was letting her help. Still, it was just a smile.

_Just a smile._

At the sound of approaching footsteps – far more earth shattering than a human's – he tucked his musings somewhere deep inside of him and instantly felt that surge of power again. Levi glanced over at Mikasa and she was already looking back at him. With a nod, he signaled for her to creep around some of the ruined houses and sneak up behind the titan while he captured its attention.

It emerged through the fog and – fucking hell – it was damned _ugly_. Well, all titans were ugly in his eyes, but whatever. Its belly was significantly round. Either it just had the best dinner of its life or it was just that fat. It didn't help that its arms and legs were fucking tiny, too. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped his blades so that the sharp ends were in the opposite direction of the titan.

"Oi!" he shouted, switching a blade to his other hand and cupped his mouth. In doing so, his voice echoed throughout the abandoned village at a higher volume. "Still hungry, huh? I've never heard of a titan shitting, so where do your excrements go? Or do you simply cough out a wad of corpses to make room for more?"

The titan gave no response, but he hadn't been expecting it to. Still, it must've eaten a hell of a lot, as it wasn't exactly running towards him in an eager fashion. Actually, it wasn't even running, just walking like it had all the damn time in the world to feast on his limbs.

Suddenly, the titan lunged forward with great speed. Levi hadn't been anticipating that move, but he easily dove out of the way, covering his dirtied clothes in even more mud. He groaned at the realization that he'd landed on his bad leg and immediately placed a hand over his knee to somewhat silence the pain. After he somewhat recovered, he searched through the fog for its figure and observed that it was on all fours, its mouth hanging open like some sort of feral animal. His grip on his blades tightened, but then he caught sight of a lone figure running towards it from behind.

_Mikasa._

Even without maneuver gear, she was incredibly fast. The titan being hunched over gave her the perfect elevation to reach its neck, but she wasn't aiming for its neck at all. He figured that her seventy feet of hair would be a problem, but she'd simply tied it around her waist in a neat fashion. As she cut and sliced at its flesh, the titan's fist would attempt to grab her, but she would easily jump out of its reach. She was toying with it – he could tell. With no experience, it was better to kill it sooner rather than later. Though, that didn't seem to cross her mind at all. What the hell was she doing?

"Mikasa!" Levi yelled, groaning as pain shot up his leg when he went to stand fully. "Kill it already!"

They didn't have time for this at all. The titan was making so much noise that he knew it would attract other titans. One titan in foggy, unclear weather was bad enough, let alone a group. He tried to move towards her – assist her, perhaps – but he'd put too much pressure on his leg to even walk.

His voice alerted the titan of his presence and the back of its hand swatted at him with enough power to send him through one of the buildings' crumbling walls. Planks of wood landed on top of him with a thud and in a healthier state, he would've been able to easily stand up. But the pain from his leg and the impact caused him to do nothing else but feel how every bone in his body was on fire. After a minute or so, a large hand wrapped around him and slowly began to crush him in its grasp. At that, he yelled out in extreme pain.

It felt like he was some porcelain doll, unable to do anything but remain completely still. The pain was worse than anything he'd ever experienced in the Underground. It felt like all his bones were breaking in half, then into thirds, and so on, but he willed himself not to scream. He cracked open his eyes to make out Mikasa's blurry figure from below, carelessly slipping through the mud and grass to reach him. With every scream she uttered, the titan applied more pressure to its fist. He could tell he wasn't going to last much longer with all the blood he was losing.

"PUT HIM DOWN!"

Immediately, the titan's hold on his body loosened, allowing him to fall to the muddy ground. Mustering enough strength to lean on his elbows, he tried to search for Mikasa in the fog. He didn't dare move an inch further than that, though, not that he could in the first place.

Her movements were sloppier, less calculated. It was the same tactic she'd used previously, cutting pieces of flesh from various parts of the titan's body. At one point, she cut into the section of its legs where the main muscles were located, which caused its legs to buckle beneath it. The ground shook as it fell to the ground and then, it was completely silent.

His vision began to blur but he willed himself to stay awake. With the amount of blood he was losing, the likelihood that he would survive would lessen if he allowed even one of his eyes to close. Mikasa forced one of the blades into its rear as she maneuvered herself onto its back. Her body was shaking but she was willing herself to continue with great strength. Finally, she reached the base of its neck and paused before plunging her remaining blade repeatedly into its nape, then slashing and cutting continuously. All he could hear was her cries as its flesh went flying into the air and the blood from all its wounds began to steam.

"Levi!"

He must've blacked out for a minute because suddenly, Mikasa's arms were surrounding him, then examining his injuries with great care. He didn't want to, but he opened his eyes to look at her. Blood was steaming off of her face and she took on a wild appearance, completely hysterical at the events that had occurred in the last five minutes.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, cradling his face in her hands – the only part of his body that didn't seem to scream at him. One of her hands let go of his cheek to push some strands of his hair out of his face before returning to his face. "It's going to be all right."

She stopped speaking after that and simply sat there, holding him. It was completely foreign to him – at least ever since his mother had died. Her heavy breathing, though, eventually lulled him to shut his eyes and finally allow the darkness to take over.

* * *

Mikasa was sitting on the wooden floor of one of the abandoned houses – rather uncomfortably – with her head laying against Levi's side on the bed. After he'd fallen unconscious, she worried that he'd never wake up again – and it was all her fault. It seemed that she only caused pain and suffering to the people around her, at least in the physical sense. Levi may have wounded her pride, but she'd only wanted to prove herself – prove that she was just as _powerful_ and _strong_ and _fast_ as he was.

In the end, none of that mattered if you were dead.

Immediately, her eyes snapped open and all feeling of sleepiness left her. Her eyes looked to his wounds and she peeled away some of the plants that she'd foraged for in hopes that he'd healed enough to scream at her for being so careless and childish. He'd constantly insulted her for the past two days by calling her a "child" and she'd been adamant that she was anything but. Still, perhaps he was right. At that, she gently pressed the leaves against his torn skin again, reaching out to interlock their fingers like she'd done most of the night. At least he was recovering, and quickly, too.

Her father had taught her that some of the plants that commonly grew in nature had healing properties, and she was grateful for that. The name of the plant had long been forgotten but she was familiar with its characteristics and knew immediately placing its leaves directly on his wounds would cause the plant to secrete some poison that quickened the healing process – scabbing over open wounds in a matter of hours, rather than days.

The first sight of his blood, she remembered, had immediately brought her back to the death of her parents. Back then, there'd been a lot of blood, too. But that thought had only subdued her for a moment before she'd calmly carried him into one of the houses. If anything, it'd been her calm head that kept him alive. Even without the assistance of nature, he'd have survived the night – but barely.

Surprisingly, the house was still furnished. There was a bed with somewhat ruffled sheets, a bare, wooden table with chairs circling it, and a crumbling fireplace. All she'd needed was the bed, though, and she could still remember how flustered she'd been when she'd removed his shirt to dress his wounds. He was a grown man and he could take care of himself, after all, but she'd been the one to put him at the brink of death. Therefore, it was her responsibility to take care of him.

Her chin rested against the edge of the bed and her eyes slowly followed his neckline, towards his button nose, and then finally sticking to his closed eyelids. She couldn't deny that he was a handsome man – well, after she looked past the bags under his eyes and permanent scowl forever embedded on his face. He reminded her of a stray dog that'd been rejected by its peers continuously until it no longer felt the need to rely on others, to fight for its life as long as it could.

Almost as if he'd read her mind, the fingers that she'd interlocked with her own began to twitch and his eyes cracked open. Immediately, she removed her hand before he realized what she'd been doing. No, she was simply spreading the warmth from her hand to his. A reasonable action if she wanted his health to improve. Her head slowly withdrew from the bed and she looked at him coolly, concealing her emotions as best as she could.

"What..." he began, his voice low and somewhat rough.

"That titan wounded you severely. It... crushed you," she answered. The thought occurred to her that he could be witnessing memory loss from the shock of the accident. "Do you remember?"

At that release of information, he tried to sit up and immediately groaned at the pain, lying back down slowly. His hand grabbed at his bare stomach and felt one of the leaves placed over a wound there. Slowly, he peeled it away to examine the skin underneath and was surprised at what he saw.

"What is... _this_?" he cautiously asked, holding the strange leaf in the air and noting how one side was stained with his dried blood.

"That's a plant."

His eyebrow twitched at that. "I know that, you idiot. I meant _what_ is it?"

At least his near-death experience wasn't enough to completely rid him of his sense of tact.

"It's used for healing purposes... I forget the name, though. Your wounds are mostly scabbed over now, but you would have survived nonetheless."

"Big talk from the brat that almost got me killed."

"I'm _eighteen_," she growled, ignoring the guilt that washed over her at the last part of his statement. With that, she stood up and crossed her arms. "And I am well aware of that. I apologize for the state I've put you in, but I have done my best to fix your wounds."

"Yeah. Thanks for the leaves."

An uncomfortable silence quickly developed as Mikasa glowered at him, yet oddly enjoying the satisfaction of him having to scowl _up_ at her. He was right, though – everything he'd said – but that didn't mean he had to rub it in her face.

"I should be dead."

At that, Mikasa's expression softened.

"That titan had me in its fist and I should be dead. But suddenly, it let me go." He looked at her then with an odd expression, alike curiosity and questioning. "It let me go right after you told it to."

"What's your point?" Mikasa asked, slightly curious herself.

In the midst of all the action, she'd forgotten about that. How she'd yelled – no, _ordered_ – the titan to put him down. It wasn't like she expected anything to come out of doing so, but it was a final request before she _made_ it put him down with her own two hands.

"Titans aren't like us, Mikasa," he said, grimacing as he removed the remainder of the leaves on his wounds. "They don't speak or have _feelings_. All they do is kill humans. And for what purpose? There were bodies everywhere but that titan was only interested in the last, surviving soldier. If it was out of hunger, it had more than one option. But that same titan _obeyed_ you, and I would like to know why."

"I... don't really understand it myself."

It seemed that Levi decided not to press any further. And with that, he carefully lifted the blanket to reveal his still clothed legs, the mud having hardened.

"The plan is still the same. We'll head towards the Wall," he began, pulling on his boots. "However, the soldiers inside won't take too kindly to seeing me, so we'll have to wear disguises. That way, we'll simply blend in and get this over with faster."

As he went to stand on his feet for the first time in several hours, his legs nearly buckled beneath him. Mikasa immediately grabbed his shoulders to shove him back onto the bed.

"You haven't fully healed, you moron. Just stay still."

Mikasa sat beside him on the bed then, helping him ease into the covers again. He scowled at her but she knew that he agreed with her.

"You know, you weren't too bad out there," he drawled, regarding her coolly.

She softly smiled at that. "You can thank me for saving your life, you know. It won't kill you."

His arm moved behind his head, giving her a good look of how his bicep flexed. She _had_ noticed that he was in good shape on more than one occasion. Returning her eyes to his face somewhat reluctantly, she almost recoiled at the soft smile gracing his features.

"But thank you," Mikasa mumbled, tucking a few strands of her ebony hair behind her ear.

"That fucking titan almost got me so I'm not taking any chances."

His smile had vanished and he was frowning in the same manner he always did, but his eyes held a sense of amusement in them. Mikasa's head quickly ducked down as she softly laughed, causing her hair to fall back in her face. Her laughter quickly died down after a few seconds, though, and when she looked back up, he was looking away with that same smile on his face.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"It's my fault that you... I should've been more careful. I just wanted to prove myself, and in doing so, I almost got you killed. I'm sorry," Mikasa said, her eyes hardening at the memory of him being crushed in that titan's fist.

Levi slowly sat up, grimacing. "You aren't to blame, Mikasa. I knew the risks of going against that titan." His eyes were intense as he spoke and unconsciously, he removed a hand from a wound on his chest to place it inches away from hers. "Who knows what the outcome would've been if you hadn't stayed behind at all?"

Mikasa had been staring at their hands, unable to look him directly in the eye. At his last statement, however, she couldn't help but do so.

"Really?" she asked. Her voice sounded so small and she felt like a child looking for encouragement, but it didn't seem to occur to him at all.

"Yeah."

A relieved smile stretched across her face, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. _He doesn't blame me_, she thought. Her eyes fell to their hands again and slowly, she inched her hand closer to his own. As her fingertips touched the back of his hand, she almost withdrew her hand completely at how cold he was. Gauging his reaction, she was surprised to see him looking directly at her with an intensity that nearly caused her to withdraw her hand completely.

Flustered, she withdrew her hand and said, "About those disguises..."

Levi cleared his throat and brought his hand to scratch the back of his neck. After a moment of sobering up, he replied, "Right. We're going to disguise ourselves as Survey Corps soldiers."

"And where are we getting these uniforms?" Mikasa asked, somewhat nervous.

"From the dead bodies outside."

* * *

**A/N**: And it's finally done! I am so sorry that I took so long to update! I didn't want you guys thinking I abandoned the story or anything but I had the hardest time writing this. I kept going back to edit the previous chapters because something just wasn't right. And I'm kind of self-conscious about the detail as well. Should I add more? I have no idea. Anyway. I hope you guys didn't find the ending too cheesy! I don't know why I put that in but it just felt natural while I was writing. I hope to update within the next week but I have no idea! I'll _at least_ not take two months this time. And let me know what you guys think in the reviews! I love hearing from you guys.

** sharpestsatire**: I'm glad you like it! And haha, that's a good point! I imagine she just held it in her arms or something! I didn't really mention that so I did put more thought into her hair within this chapter. And you would think she would... Maybe she'll get her hands on some good books during their little adventure or maybe she'll meet some kids that love to braid? ;)


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